Golden Sun: Umbral Specter
by Yoru No Grim
Summary: The Golden Sun has risen now. But what of Vale, and what, just what, will happen to Alex? Only time will tell. Rating for future chapters.
1. Feels Like The First Time

_Author's Note: Welcome to the fic. This is planned to span from the mid-end of The Lost Age beyond the end of the game. All cutscenes are as well-preserved as possible; text and motion were observed carefully and replicated as best they could be. Chapters are song titles; I will give credit to the artists whose songs I use. __Golden Sun: The Lost Age__, the Golden Sun universe, and the characters are © Camelot. "Feels Like The First Time" is by Foreigner, and is available on their album "Foreigner" as well as the compilation album "Complete Greatest Hits"._

Chapter 1: Feels Like The First Time

The villagers didn't recognize three of the four strangers who walked into their town, battered and beaten. The golden-haired young man with the sword strapped across his back was obviously the leader. The pommel stone of the sword was a large ruby, set into a hilt of mixed gold and steel. He wore heavy metal chest armor, a fine yellow scarf, blue clothes, and light brown gloves and boots. On his back was slung a shield, and under his arm was a battered helm.

The man behind him had a shock of red hair sticking up in a flame-like pattern. He wore armor as well, though his seemed to be made of dragon's scales, and the sword strapped to his side seemed to glow with demonic fire. On his hand was a ring pulsing red and black. He was very muscular, and he also carried a shield, though his was out and on his right arm – it was unusual, seeing a left-handed swordsman.

Alongside the red-haired man was a tall, white-robed, blue-haired woman. She had kind eyes, from what the villagers could tell, and she carried a stone-capped rod, slung across her back. Her smile was as kind as her eyes, though at the moment she seemed glad merely to have come to this town.

Behind them was Ivan, though they barely recognized him. In truth, they hadn't expected him to be so short compared to his companions, nor did they expect his hair to be in that bowl-like cut. A thin blade was strapped to his side, and he seemed to be wearing a merchant's cape over a thin, light set of clothes. He had on bright green boots that matched the cape, and he carried a backpack that seemed especially full. "Garet," he said, tugging on the red-haired man's sleeve, "we should probably rest before seeing my sister."

"If she still lives here," Garet replied. "Though I agree about the resting. Think we'll have enough?" Ivan laughed.

"Garet, we've got enough that if we went to Xian we could probably buy all their silk for three years, I think we have enough for an inn."

"That's a lot of silk," muttered Garet. "What would you do with all of it?" Still, he looked at the girl. "What do you think, Mia?"

"I agree with Ivan – if we're going to meet his sister, we should be healthy, not drained. Besides, I'm sure we have enough money, and if not I can do some healing." The leader looked back at her. "Isaac, unlike you or Ivan or Garet, I've been perfectly fine, just exhausted from the battles is all, and from the unnecessary hiking."

"It wasn't unnecessary," replied Isaac. "Now, if we'd known beforehand that Felix and the others had a stone that could help us through the lighthouse, _then_ it would have been – ow!" He bent over. "Ugh, leg cramped up again. I think that Karst person must've done something to it."

"It's called 'strain', Isaac," said Mia, "and it's because you did that massive lunge while swinging your sword around. The muscle stretched too far, I've told you this before, you should really be more careful."

"All right," sighed Isaac. "How long will it take to heal?" Mia shrugged.

"It usually takes a day or two. Now then, let's rest up. After all, Felix and the others should be here by tomorrow." Isaac nodded in agreement.

Upon reaching the inn, Garet asked the innkeeper, "Do you know where Ivan's sister lives? We'd like to go there tomorrow." The innkeeper looked at him curiously.

"By Ivan you mean…" Garet slapped a palm to his forehead.

"The one in the back, short, with blond hair, sword at his side." The innkeeper did a sort of double take, but nodded. "OK, we'll need directions tomorrow. Right now, though, we need a room. We need four beds, and we've enough coins to pay." The innkeeper nodded slowly.

"It's 80 coins," he said, and Isaac dug through a purse, dropping a handful of coins in varying denominations on the counter after counting out 80. After counting the coins on his abacus to add them up to the right amount and weighing them to make sure none were underweight, the innkeeper nodded. "Room on your right," he said.

Isaac, despite his bad leg, was the first one into the room, and he quickly tossed off his gear before sitting down on one of the four mats, carefully stripping to his undergarments. Lying down on the mat, he breathed a sigh of relief as he let his legs relax. "This feels _much_ better," he said, grinning. "I'll just rest here for a bit."

"Good idea," said Mia, who had entered right after him and chosen the mat diagonally opposite his. She was removing her boots. "Besides, we've had a long day." Ivan nodded as he entered the room.

"And heading back to the base wasn't exactly easy, now was it?" he muttered. "We're just lucky Sheba and Jenna decided to help." He grabbed the mat furthest from the door, relaxing onto the mat.

"Well, of course they decided to help," said Garet. "Jenna's a friend from way back and Sheba… well, Sheba's Sheba. She knows we wanted to help her back at Venus Lighthouse, and now she's helping us." Isaac rolled over onto his front, looking at his friend, who had just sat down on the remaining mat and was removing his boots.

"Except that she's been willingly traveling with Felix, and so have Jenna and Kraden – plus, she heard me agree that Felix is our enemy," said Isaac. "So she might not feel too sympathetic."

"Yes, she would," said Garet, "because we wanted to help her just as much as Felix did." Isaac just sighed and rolled onto his back again, looking at the ceiling. "So what do you think Ivan's sister is like?" he mused as he set aside his shield.

"I have no idea," said Ivan. "I didn't even know I had a sister until today. I always thought I was an only child – and not growing up with any siblings didn't help any. I always got the feeling that Hammet and Layana viewed me more as a son than a servant, even though…" His voice trailed off.

"Even though what?" asked Mia. Ivan shrugged uncomfortably.

"Even though I eventually got a room in the servant's quarters and had to work serving them and their guests." He looked up at the ceiling. "Of course, who knows when I'll see them again. Felix probably has a boat, which is good luck considering that ours drifted off…"

"I wonder where the anchor was," muttered Garet, pausing in the middle of removing his undershirt.

"Lemurian ships probably don't have them, we just probably couldn't find the 'stay put' command," said Mia. "Changing the subject, I don't see why you don't go to a sanctum to get that removed." She indicated the sword at his side. Garet shrugged uncomfortably.

"It's not hurting me any. Besides, with this ring the weapon's kept at bay. It's not hurting anyone." Mia sighed. "Look, if it bothers you that much, I'll get it removed tomorrow after we speak with Felix. But really, I'm fine with it."

"I think it'd be a bit easier on all our minds," said Isaac, glancing briefly at Ivan to see if he assented. "I mean, even ignoring the paralysis curse on it, it's a weapon you can't remove. Those aren't usually good."

"All right, then. Tomorrow afternoon, once we're done with Felix." He paused, then added, "Truth be told, I do kinda miss not being poked in the back by a sword-hilt while I sleep. And before any of you suggest sleeping on my stomach, that's when the hilt pokes me in the gut."

"So, remind me, why did you put it on?" asked Ivan.

"Felt like a good idea at the time," replied Garet, shrugging. "I mean, some of the best weapons we've had have come from places that were… less than safe." He looked at the ring on his right hand. "Besides, this ring's purpose seems to be stopping curses, may as well let it stop this one halfway." Garet lay down on his back. "I just shudder to think what would've happened if I had worn that heavy-looking armor we found, the ring pulsed near it like it did with the sword."

"Probably means it was cursed," said Isaac. "And that probably means you'd be fatigued from sleeping in your armor." Garet chuckled, looking at the ceiling.

"So what do you think Felix'll say?" he asked the others, ignoring as the hilt pressed uncomfortably against him.

"That he's going to keep trying to light the beacons, I imagine," said Isaac, suppressing a yawn. "He hasn't shown any indication of wanting to quit. I just wish I knew why he wanted them lit so badly…"

"Me t-too," said Ivan, before letting out a long yawn. "We'll ask tomorrow, though, so for now I'm just going to sleep…" Ivan's mat rustled slightly as the young man curled up into his normal sleeping position. "Good night."

"Sleep well," muttered Mia, covering herself with her cloak before closing her eyes and slowly drifting off.

"G'night," said Isaac, quietly falling asleep as he closed his eyes.

"'Night," Garet whispered, though he stayed up for another ten minutes contemplating what Felix would say before he too fell asleep, snoring quietly. His dreams were relatively unremarkable, although he did fall into a rather unusual sequence about somebody making shrimp and cabbage stew that had him waking up hungry. As he scrounged in his pack for something to eat, he looked around. It was early morning, barely even sunrise, and the others were enjoying some well-deserved rest. Making himself a small breakfast sandwich out of some leftovers from his last night's meal and a round of bread he sliced in half, he unpacked a fresh set of clothes – while his sweaty clothes didn't bother him all that much, he knew that Mia would want to wash them. However, he slipped on his still-dirty undershirt; it wasn't like it would be noticed, and he didn't exactly have anywhere to change where the others might wake up and see him.

As he was eating his breakfast, Ivan stirred, yawning as he woke up. "Almost as bad as the floor," he muttered, stretching his back as Garet offered him a bread roll. "…Thanks," muttered Ivan, taking the bread roll and continuing to stretch. "So when should we wake them up?" he asked, indicating Isaac and Mia.

"Let them wake up on their own," said Garet between bites. After finishing his sandwich, he fiddled with the ring on his finger.

"Stop that," muttered Ivan. "It's not a good idea to mess with that, we've got no idea if it'll stop working if it's messed with too much, and I don't really like the idea of you freezing up in the middle of our talk with Felix." Garet shrugged, pulling another round of bread from his pack. "How much food do you have in there?" asked Ivan.

"Just a couple more rounds of bread and a few more bread rolls. You like rye?" asked Garet. Ivan shook his head. "I'll wait for Isaac and Mia to wake up, then." At that moment, Mia awakened, sniffing the air lightly.

"Mmm," she muttered, "I smell rye." Stretching, she looked at her already-awake companions. "Can I have some, Garet?" Garet nodded, handing her a well-torn hunk of bread. "We should just make you quartermaster," she muttered before taking a bite. After chewing thoroughly and swallowing, she continued "You already organized all our food among us… Plus, you always pack leftovers to be good even when there's no icebox." She finished off her piece of bread, then began getting dressed; Ivan and Garet tastefully turned their backs to her. "Well, I'm decent," she said. "And we should probably wake Isaac, we need to get going if we're going to meet Felix there. We saw that tent he was carrying, they probably wanted a rest too."

"I just hope they weren't running," said Ivan. "Isaac would get pretty mad if they ran." Garet nodded. "Although… He took Felix's word, and Felix doesn't seem like he'd be one to break his word."

"Never did as long as I knew him," said Garet, strapping on his armor and placing his shield on his back. "So… Let's wake Isaac." He knelt next to the still-sleeping Venus Adept and lightly poked his head. Isaac stirred, turning his head away from the poke. Garet poked the back of his friend's head. Isaac stirred again, murmuring. "Hey, Isaac, wake up." Isaac murmured something, opened his eyes slightly, and sat up – Garet had to move rather quickly to get out of Isaac's way.

"I see you're all dressed," he said to the others, nodding at them. Mia smiled as she put on her boots. Isaac, quick dresser that he was, was ready to go in five minutes, although he didn't say much as he dressed. Standing up and strapping on his sword, he nodded to Garet. "It's time," he said, and with that the four of them walked to Ivan's sister's house.

--

About fifteen minutes after they had entered the house's main room, Felix and the others arrived. Felix was the first one in, and his brown hair seemed more unkempt than when they had parted the previous day, his blade still at his side and his tunic a little more beaten up from (probably) having been slept in. Following him was Jenna, staff set across her shoulders and a grin on her face as she waved to Isaac. Her red hair was tied up in its usual ponytail, which hung over her staff. Following her came Sheba, also toting a staff, as well as a small bag of potions. Garet's gaze lingered a bit on the sun's light reflecting off her blonde hair before moving on to Piers. The tall, blue-haired mariner had an axe of some kind, and his strange split headdress moved in the breeze that blew through the doorway.

Isaac nodded, the faintest trace of a smile on his face. "I'm glad you kept your promise, Felix," he said quietly, nodding at the other man.

"All right, let's hear what he has to say for himself!" called Garet, resisting the urge to fiddle with the ring on his finger. It was beginning to itch now.

Jenna looked a little shocked at Garet's proclamation. "What can we say, Isaac? Has Felix ever harmed you? Have we ever fought against you?"

"Felix's been avoiding you, but he never had any intention of fighting you or anything," added Sheba in a somber tone.

"And he definitely helped us out back at Jupiter Lighthouse," reminded Mia.

"Isaac's been worrying about Jenna nonstop since this nightmare began!" said Ivan, his voice somewhat accusatory and definitely loud for the room. "How could she run away from him like that?" His question was aimed more at Mia than at the rest of the group, and it was rather obvious.

The answer came from Piers. "She was afraid that if we met, we would be forced to fight… She didn't want that."

Isaac shook his head. "I know that, now… But it doesn't explain why you're doing this…"

Kraden sighed. "Felix betrayed his hometown, Vale… That's why he hasn't been able to face Isaac." Felix nodded, looking away from shame. "Felix had hoped to play the villain alone, without getting me or Jenna involved…"

"He betrayed Vale?" asked Garet. "Kraden, what are you talking about?"

"He conspired to steal the Elemental Stars and fire the beacons of the four lighthouses," elaborated Kraden.

"That's what Saturos and Menardi were trying to do," muttered Mia, half-arguing against Kraden's last statement.

"Why were you helping them?" Ivan asked.

After a pause, Jenna said, "Our parents' lives were at stake! We had to help!"

Isaac and Garet looked shocked. "Parents?" asked Garet. "But… your parents died three years ago, in that storm…"

"That night," said Kraden, "Saturos and his men had raided Sol Sanctum… The storm was their doing."

"Garet, you saw two strangers that night – Saturos and Menardi," continued Jenna. "They were the only survivors of Saturos's raiding party."

"They had failed to solve the mystery of Sol Sanctum," said Kraden. "In doing so, they triggered the storm."

"Everyone thought that you were killed by that boulder, Felix," said Jenna, smiling at her brother. "I can't tell you how glad I was to find you were alive!"

"In fact," said Kraden, smiling at Isaac and Garet, "nobody was killed by the boulder that day!"

Isaac frowned in throught. "So that means…"

Ivan's attention snapped to Kraden. "Wait a minute, Kraden… Did you just say _nobody_ was killed by that boulder?"

"But what about Isaac's dad?" asked Mia. "And Jenna and Felix's parents? I thought they'd died that day!"

"I'm not so sure now," said Isaac, a pensive look on his face.

"Yes!" shouted Kraden in excitement. "If Felix survived, Kyle and the others may have as well…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Mia. "We could have worked together to save your parents, couldn't we?"

Felix shook his head. "I could barely save them – what help would you have been?"

"He's right," said Ivan. "They were too powerful then… It would have been impossible."

"There's more to it than that. He had another reason to light the lighthouse beacons," said Kraden, looking directly at Isaac. "Unless the lighthouse beacons are all lit, Weyard will eventually be destroyed."

"Destroyed?" asked Isaac, shocked. "But...how? Why?"

"King Hydros, ruler of Lemuria, says that our world is steadily shrinking," offered Piers. Isaac and Ivan looked at him, sharing the same thought – _He's a Lemurian!_ Mia and Garet, meanwhile, just looked at him, shocked by his pronouncement.

"Elemental energy drives the growth of civilization," added Sheba. "Without it, we and our world will wither." Isaac and Garet looked at each other – the Wise One had failed to mention this when he had given them their task.

"All that because the lighthouses aren't illuminated?" asked Mia skeptically.

"According to my research, that seems to be the case," said Kraden sadly.

"But… once the lighthouses are all lit, you said the world would end anyway!" said Garet, a note of confusion in his voice.

"That… might be true, too… but if we do nothing, the world will definitely end," said Kraden, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

"Wait for the end of the world to come or wind up accidentally triggering it ourselves," muttered Isaac. "What a choice…"

"Nothing is certain," added Kraden in what was obviously supposed to be a hopeful tone. "There is no way to prevent the world from reaching its natural end." Although they knew he was trying to be helpful, the Adepts couldn't help but think that the elderly scholar sounded a little fatalistic. "However, we can fight to save the world from withering away due to the actions of men." Garet turned to Felix.

"And, Felix, you knew this? You were helping them because you knew what was happening?" he asked.

"No," replied Felix, "they never told me."

"You just figured it out along the way, huh? That's still pretty darned smart." Felix opened his mouth to refute that, but closed it, figuring he'd do better to keep his mouth shut and be thought smart rather than open it and be proved an idiot.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" asked Isaac, turning to Felix. "I would have helped you…"

"You wouldn't have done it before, Isaac," argued Kraden quietly. "It would have meant violating the sacred teachings of Vale."

"Now that we know all of this, shouldn't we be going?" asked a vaguely familiar female voice. Everyone turned to see the tall purple-haired woman who had just entered the room.

"Hama!" cried Mia, smiling at the familiar face.

"Hello again," said the young woman, looking at Mia, Isaac, and Garet in turn, though she kept her gaze from Ivan.

"Hama!" said Kraden. "You… know Isaac? And his companions, too?"

"We met at the temple on the edge of the Lamakan Desert," began Isaac, but Hama interrupted him, saying, "I'm Hama, descendant of the Anemos." This drew astounded looks from everyone. "I was born in Contigo, and I inherited the power of the Anemos," she continued.

"Hey," said Garet, "We just got into Contigo, and we found out this is where Ivan was born!"

"Yeah… We also learned that he's got a sister!" said Mia.

"Sister… You don't mean," said Sheba hopefully.

Hama frowned apologetically at Sheba. "That would be me, yes," she said. Ivan approached her; she turned to him. "Not now, Ivan… This isn't the time. Three lighthouses have been lit… The elements have been thrown out of balance. Jupiter is growing stronger, and the north grows colder with every passing moment. You must hurry to Mars Lighthouse. Ignite its beacon, before all of Weyard freezes…"

"Mars Lighthouse?" asked Jenna. "Agatio has the Mars Star. He's on his way to light it now!" Hama glowed briefly in Psynergetic light.

"I doubt they will be able to light the Mars beacon," she said.

"Why's that?" asked Piers.

Hama glowed again, using her Psynergy to find the answers. "There is a powerful force that does not want to see Mars rekindled." The Adepts began to look worried. "You will fail as well… unless you pool your strengths together and fight as one."

"This is bad," said Kraden. "We have to go… now!" Hama smiled.

"I had hoped that you would feel that way," she said. "I've prepared a gift for you, to aid you on your way to Mars Lighthouse. I must leave you now, but we will meet at the inlet." And with those parting words, she left the building.

Jenna looked at her childhood friends. "I'm sorry we left Venus Lighthouse without seeing you… I'm sorry for making you worry," she said. They nodded at her. "Maybe when this is all over, we can all go on a trip together," she suggested.

"Hey, Jenna, you sure seem calm, considering that we're racing to meet our enemies," said Sheba. Her voice wasn't as energetic as it normally was.

"I'm just relieved that we've sorted out our differences," said Mia, smiling at the others.

"Me too, Mia," said Piers. "We could not have stood divided against a common foe."

"Yeah," added Garet, "I guess I'm a little happy that we're not going to have to beat Felix up." There was clearly a bit of reluctance in his voice that admitted that beating Felix up might even be somewhat difficult for them.

"Listen, this is Felix's quest now," said Isaac, speaking with authority. "We're just doing what we can to help out…"

"Aren't you happy?" asked Jenna. Felix smiled.

"Yeah, I am," said Felix.

"Everything's finally come together… This is how it was meant to be, Felix," said Kraden, grinning. "But Hama's waiting for us. Let's go to our ship!" They all nodded. As they walked out, Felix hung back as he noticed Isaac's stiff leg movement.

"What's with your leg, Isaac?" he asked, indicating his friend's slight limp. "Break something?"

"No," replied Isaac. "I just strained the leg yesterday and the muscle's still sore." He shrugged. "Otherwise it's just fine."

"You should be more careful," muttered Felix. "Overexert yourself like that and you're likely to end up dead. Or have you forgotten what Karst and Agatio can do?" Isaac refused to reply, instead gritting his teeth and walking even faster. Felix chuckled, although he saw a limp in Isaac's stride and a wince every few steps. After moving faster to catch up, Felix asked, "So, what's going on between you and Jenna?"

"Nothing," said Isaac, bewildered. "Well, nothing recent."

"'Nothing recent' doesn't say much when you've been on our tail for the past three months," pointed out Felix. "So how recent is 'recent'?"

"The past year," said Isaac. "I mean, we've been taught Alchemy by Kraden, and we've been chasing her since she got kidnapped – thanks for keeping her safe," he continued.

"Wait, wait, wait, what about the year before?" Felix's eyes bored into the back of Isaac's head as he tried to figure out what exactly had gone on between Isaac and Jenna. "You said nothing, then nothing recent, then 'this past year'. What happened the year before?"

Isaac sighed. "We thought maybe we could try – well, I mean, she'd tried dating Garet, and that lasted about a month, so she thought maybe me and her, and it worked well for a couple weeks but…" Isaac shrugged. "Kinda fell apart. I wonder if it was the same with Garet." The two Mars Adepts seemed to be talking to different people; Jenna seemed to have gone straight to Mia, while Garet was talking with Piers. "Anyway, what was that whole 'dive off the tower' thing with Sheba? You fall for her that way, too?" Felix just looked away. "Hey, I answered your questions, you should answer mine." Felix continued to refuse to speak.

Meanwhile, Mia and Jenna were talking about their various groups. "I think he saw a little bit of me in her, y'know?" asked the latter. "I mean, otherwise why would he have dived off the lighthouse?"

"Maybe he's just got that hero instinct. I've noticed it in Isaac a fair few times, when he wasn't being single-minded about finding you." Mia grinned. "And, to be fair, the two of them seem to have a lot in common, apart from the obvious. A sense of fair play, a certain hard-headedness, a lack of willingness to speak…"

"Tell me about it," said Jenna. "It's like you could swap one for the other, sometimes." She looked around. "So what's Ivan like on the road?"

"Indispensable," said Mia. "I think growing up in Hammet's house gave him a knack for dealing with shopkeepers, he has a sort of sixth sense for a good deal. We've given him unofficial control over our quest money, and he's done well with it." She paused, then said, "I wonder if he was like this when it was just the three boys."

"Bet he was," said Jenna. "They'd probably have used him to try and get better deals on stuff." She paused, then said, "Do you have to share a room with any of 'em when you stay at an inn?" Mia nodded.

"Usually we grab a four-bed room at an inn. They're cheap, Garet can sleep watch, and we don't have to worry about having to fight alone if we're ambushed while we sleep. Of course, when we have to camp out, I get my own tent." Mia grinned. "We may be safety-minded, but the boys respect my privacy."

"Somehow I get the feeling us girls will be sharing a room from now on," said Jenna, laughing slightly. "Sheba and I shared one, but we never let the boys stay with us if we could help it."

"Safety in numbers," said Mia. "Besides, I'm a healer, not a fighter. I'd end up down in a minute if I had to fend for myself." She smiled. "At least I won't have to worry about that anymore, huh?" Jenna nodded.

While their conversation had switched to rooming arrangements, Garet and Piers were holding a rather different conversation. "Be natural, is my advice," said Garet. "She doesn't like it when people act forced, it's the big reason she and Isaac broke up. He was trying too hard."

"Oh? I'll keep that in mind, then. So move slow, be natural… Right now it sounds like you're telling me 'be a Lemurian'," joked the mariner. Garet gave him a playful arm-punch. "So why did you two break up in the first place?"

"I dunno… the romance just kinda faded, I guess. Maybe I was _too_ natural or something. At least I was with her longer than Isaac… Like I said, don't try too hard." Garet paused, then said, "So when are you gonna tell her?" Piers shrugged.

"Probably soon," he said. "I might take her aside sometime and confess. But don't breathe a word of this to anybody. I'd rather not have her find out from anyone else." Garet nodded.

"Of course. You've got my word on it." Garet paused, then said, "So what's Sheba like?"

Piers smiled at Garet. "Enigmatic. Bold. Passionate. Mischievous. Why do you ask?" Garet just looked at a roadside bush. "Could it possibly be a budding attraction?" The bush seemed more interesting than Piers had first suspected.

"Just… trying to find out about new teammates," said Garet, his voice a little bit higher than when he had begun the conversation. Piers chuckled. "I'd ask about Felix and Jenna, but I know them." The young Mars Adept didn't quite look Piers in the eye as he said that, continuing to marvel at the Attekan roadside plant life. "And I'm talking with you, so I'm getting to know you…" His tone didn't quite convince Piers, but the mariner dropped the subject, as he didn't want to alienate his new teammate. "Anyway… 'Passionate', you say? In what way?"

Piers chuckled. "Her usual approach to life. She's normally not this… withdrawn. She seems a bit more down-hearted compared to normal." Garet looked over at her, seeing her walking alone. "…You realize that she's a better source of information about herself than I am?" asked Piers quietly. Garet turned to look at the mariner and nodded.

"…If you'll excuse me… And just remember what I said about Jenna and you'll do fine." Piers nodded, turning to join the conversation that Ivan and Kraden were sharing. Garet, meanwhile, walked up to Sheba and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, looking somewhat startled.

"Oh, hi, Garet," she said. Her voice sounded about like it had at the end of the big group conversation, slightly hollow and lacking energy.

"Something bothering you?" he asked. She shrugged. "You just… You kinda look like you did back in Tolbi. Melancholic, if you will."

"It's nothing," she said, a hint of stubbornness in her voice. "Just a long day." Garet continued to walk alongside her.

"It doesn't seem like nothing, and it's barely noon," he pointed out. "Look, you can trust me, all right? We're on the same team."

"Says the guy who thinks of people as 'enemy' or 'friend'," scoffed Sheba, looking at the scenery instead of at him.

"I had my reasons for saying what I did! And besides, I know more now. I'm not ignorant." Sheba didn't bother replying to that. After a few moments of silence, Garet said, "You thought it was you."

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Sheba, looking at Garet as though he'd just said something utterly inappropriate.

"When Hama was talking about Ivan's sister. You thought it was you she meant." Garet paused, then added quietly, "So did I." Sheba looked away.

"Th-that's preposterous," she muttered. "Why would I think…?"

"I don't know why," said Garet. "You just… you looked like you were thinking it." The red-headed man shrugged. "I don't pretend to know what goes on in people's heads – I'm not a Jupiter Adept. I just go by what my gut tells me, and my gut tells me you thought you were Ivan's sister." She continued looking off to the side. "…All right, I'll drop it." He looked over at what she was looking at. "You know? There was a more interesting bush about twenty yards back."

Sheba chuckled. "Yeah? Well this one's in full bloom. I figure that's pretty interesting." Garet grinned at the fleeting moment of happiness in her voice; her expression was quickly returning to a more melancholy one.

"Y'know, my sister grows flowers. I bet she'd love to have one of these in her garden. Not that it doesn't already have a lot of different flowers…" He refrained from adding out that before he'd left, his training stone had crushed about half of the flowers in said garden.

"Really?" asked Sheba. "What kind of flowers does she grow?" Her gaze had turned to a tree that had a few pears hanging from it.

"Um… hang on, I'll try to remember the names… Roses, I know, she loves red roses, and I think she also grows tulips and snapdragons and…" He paused, brow furrowed in thought. "Lilacs. Lots of lilacs. And a lot of them tried to creep into my training area…" He shrugged.

"Sounds like a nice garden," said Sheba. "How big is it?"

"Surrounds most of the house," said Garet. "Although if you knock even one petal off one of her flowers she gets pretty angry at you. House looks amazing with the garden in front, but… well… Let's just say I stopped running through Kay's garden after the first time it happened." Sheba rolled her eyes. "Hey, my sister is _scary_ when she's mad."

"How scary compared to the stuff you've faced?" she asked. Garet pondered this for a moment as Sheba looked him over.

"I'd have to say… that if she were the enemy we had to fight, I wouldn't do it." Sheba gave him a "quit fooling around" look. "I'm serious. She can get really, really scary when she wants to. It's not so much her ability to smack me around as it is her ability to intimidate me. I might be able to win in a fight, but she would use her 'evil eye' on me in a second if I tried." Sheba rolled her eyes again and continued walking down the road.

"I think our ship's up ahead. I can see the docks." She paused and grinned at him. "You're not going to be scared of a boat ride, are you?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Garet just laughed and grinned at her.

"So that's the harbor?" said Ivan. Piers nodded. "Doesn't look like much, the Kalay harbor was more impressive than this. Then again, the Kalay Harbor was also closer to the city." Kraden nodded.

"Proximity probably has a lot to do with the impressiveness of the harbor." Kraden adjusted his glasses and continued. "For instance, Lemuria and Tolbi are two of the most impressive separate-harbors in the world, and they're located very close to their cities."

"What about Champa?" asked Piers. "Their harbor wasn't too impressive. And that was located within the city."

"Champa's an exception, as it was, until recently, facing extreme poverty." Kraden nodded as if that settled the whole matter.

"Lalivero's harbor wasn't exactly big… it was just Babi's boat in a shed, and that town was fairly well-off. If they had a better harbor I bet they could become a trade hub like Kalay or Tolbi," said Ivan. "I wonder why they haven't."

"All right, so there are two exceptions now. But the general trend remains, the closer to the main city the better the harbor." Kraden furrowed his brow. "Alhafra's harbor was particularly impressive, events considered."

"All right, I'll accept that," said Ivan. "I guess it's easier when the people who have to maintain the harbor live closer to either it or the town. Makes materials and other expenses a lot cheaper because you aren't transporting things very far. You can probably also hire a bigger staff because people live closer to the harbor." Kraden nodded.

"That would explain a lot of the why," he agreed. "So who taught you so much about economics?" Ivan grinned.

"Master Hammet did. He sometimes let me tag along with the caravan when I was really young, and he's always tried to teach me to look at the flow of money and the economic situation in a town." He grinned. "At any rate… I bet that's the harbormaster's cabin… You know, the harbor looks more like a cove than a harbor."

"Well, think about how far away it is, it's a good ways away." Ivan nodded slowly. "So, logically…"

"I guess it makes sense," said Ivan. "So… Did your ship always have wings?" he asked as the ship came into view.

"No… I don't remember those being added," said Piers. "Must have happened while we were at the Lighthouse." Ivan nodded slowly. "At any rate, here we are." They looked around at the people gathered. "I think this is everyone in Contigo," muttered Piers, looking at the expectant crows. "Wonder what they're expecting."

"It probably has to do with the ship and the wings," said Ivan. Slowly, the adepts and Kraden climbed the ladder that led to the ship. Standing atop the small rock outcropping on which the gangplank rested was Hama; with her were four monks.

Felix approached her as soon as the whole group was atop the grass-coated rock. Hama smiled at him. "I've been waiting for you, Felix. Take a look at your ship." She grinned as she looked at it, and the other Adepts gave the ship a once-over. "Now that you have been given wings, all obstacles in our path will vanish forever…" She frowned slightly. "However, it is not the wings alone that grant your ship the power of flight. Psynergy is the force that powers the Wings of Anemos. If the ship is to fly, you will need to focus the power of your minds…" Her gaze sharpened as she looked Felix in the eye. "You have visited Shaman Village recently, have you not?" Felix nodded. "Now is the time to make use of the powers you acquired there. Now… Use the power of Hover to raise your ship! At first, you may not want to move your ship too high or too far…" Felix arched an eyebrow, and she explained, "It will be difficult at first, but that is to be expected… After all, this is your first flight." She smiled. "But your quest should not demand so much more of you… Now, be confident and set sail!" And with that she stepped aside. "All of Contigo is watching… Show them your power, and make your vessel fly!"

Felix motioned to the others. "Come on, guys," he said, leading them onto the gangplank. Just as he had let everyone else on the ship and was halfway to following them, however, a voice yelled, "Hey, wait!" Felix and the others turned to look at the voice's source. Ivan let out a gasp of recognition. Standing there was a blond man with a fairly buff build. "Master Hammet requested that I deliver this to Isaac, and I totally forgot about it!"

"Well, you'd better hurry," said Hama; it was unclear from her tone whether she was surprised or irritated.

"I'm supposed to deliver this to Isaac," repeated the messenger. "It's not too late, is it?" Felix shook his head, and the messenger placed a small chest at the foot of the gangplank.

"On my way here, I stopped in Kalay briefly to speak with Master Hammet," said Hama. She frowned slightly. "He ws quite upset that you hadn't returned to visit him so that he could thank you. So he requested that I take this with me to Atteka." She smiled. "It is a gift of thanks from Master Hammet. Take it, please." Felix walked back to the chest and opened it, taking out the cloth-wrapped package inside. The package was rectangular and heavy. After giving it to Isaac, he went directly to the helm. Ivan watched as Isaac unwrapped the cloth.

As the gift was revealed, Ivan's eyes widened. "Wow… Even with all his money, to get his hands on that…" A fair-sized, dense metallic bar with a slight golden sheen sat in Isaac's hands, still somewhat shrouded in cloth. "Do you know what that is?" asked Ivan.

"…Orihalcon, isn't it?" asked Isaac. "That really rare metal stuff?" Ivan nodded. "How much d'you think it's worth?"

"This much? It'd drain Master Hammet's coffers by a tidy amount, he'd have to have two _very_ good years in order to purchase it without worrying about having enough money to keep up trade the next year… I wonder how long he's had this…" The ship began moving with a slight lurch as the stone anchors placed on the wings were dropped and the vessel began moving of its own accord, Felix guiding its motions.

As they sailed out of the harbor, the Adepts noticed some rocks blocking the way and quickly decided to use the Hover Jade to fly over them. As they passed over the rocks, missing them by inches before splashing back into the water, Ivan exclaimed, "We did it! The ship took off without a hitch!"

"Yeah," said Garet, "but… shouldn't it be flying a little higher than this?" He looked worriedly over the edge.

"Hama told us that we wouldn't be able to fly very high until we were more familiar with Hover," reminded Mia, readjusting her pack.

"Let's see how far we can take this thing!" said Isaac, grinning as he ran a hand along the railing. Jenna, meanwhile, looked over at Sheba.

"Sheba, what's wrong? You don't look happy…" That was something of an understatement; Sheba looked very glum indeed, and was leaning against the cabin, not really looking at anything except the Hover Jade that rested in her hands.

"Do you remember on Idejima, when I told you I had my own reasons for joining your quest?" she asked, turning the large gem in her hands slowly.

"You were so secretive!" said Kraden, readjusting his glasses and looking at her. "Are you going to tell us now?" Sheba just stood silently against the cabin, rotating the gem in her hands.

"You've gone quiet again… It's OK," said Jenna, walking over to Sheba and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell us if you're not ready yet." Sheba looked at Jenna, then walked a few feet toward the helm.

"I thought that if I went to Jupiter Lighthouse, I would learn who I was…" Everyone exchanged glances at that; only Garet and Ivan looked truly unsurprised.

"I remember the people in Lalivero talking about how Sheba fell from the sky," muttered Isaac, piecing things together in his mind.

"All my life, I've been looking for the answer… Where was I born, and why was I abandoned?" Sheba shoved the Hover Jade into a pocket on her robe and began to pace the deck.

"You knew Felix was going to Jupiter Lighthouse eventually," said Piers, who was sitting on the stairs leading to the prow, "and so you went along with him."

"But you didn't find any answers, did you, Sheba?" asked Mia, who was anxiously watching the younger girl pace.

"I'm sorry, Sheba," said Ivan quietly. "I was so excited to find Contigo that I didn't consider your feelings."

"What?" asked Garet. "Why is everyone so down all of a sudden?" Sheba stopped in her pacing, looking at him with an expression half incredulous and half glare. After waiting for her to respond and being met with only silence, he continued. "Faran raised Sheba like his own daughter. He's cared for her ever since he first found her!"

"Yes, that's true, but…" Her gaze had softened, although it was still somewhat angry.

"But you can never be his real daughter, is that it?" Sheba turned her back to him.

"Garet! You don't have to be so blunt about it!" said Jenna, walking over to her fellow Mars Adept and thwacking him on the back of the head.

"No, he's right," said Mia quietly. "I'd want to know my real parents, no matter how caring Faran might have been." Garet flashed a quick smile of gratitude at Mia. Jenna still looked slightly irate.

"You think so?" asked Garet. "If it were me, I doubt it'd bother me at all…" Sheba made a small noise of disbelief at Garet's words. Kraden, meanwhile, walked over to the young Jupiter Adept, placing a hand on Sheba's shoulder.

"Sheba," he said, "you may not know this, but you and I are very similar…"

"What do you mean?" asked Sheba, looking at the sage's hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it's not exactly the same situation, but…" Kraden looked off at the horizon. "I was born in a poor village. My memories are hazy, but I still remember it. I was only four when Babi took me under his wing. You see, even though I was young, I was quite intelligent. Babi had heard about me…" Kraden's voice trailed off as he reminisced.

"And Babi took you to Tolbi to further your education, to raise you as a scholar," concluded Isaac. Kraden nodded.

"I was separated from my parents so early in life… I've never known the comforts of a true home," mused Kraden.

"Faran has always been like a father to me," whispered Sheba. "I must have been very lucky."

"I should say so," agreed Kraden. Ivan nodded in agreement as well.

"Thank you, Kraden," said Sheba, placing her hand on the elderly sage's. "I feel better now…" She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek; it was like watching a granddaughter and her grandfather.

"I'm glad I could help," said Kraden, smiling at her. "Well, we should be going… Let's hurry on, Felix!" Felix nodded from the helm, guiding the boat toward another range of flat rocks.

"All right, let's try the jade again!" he said. As they focused on the jade, the ship rose into the air, clearing the rocks by several feet, though the large stone spires still seemed to threaten the boat.

As soon as they had cleared the rocks, Sheba walked over to Garet. "Thank you as well," she said. "For… well, your honesty, for one. Albeit, your tact needs some work, but on the whole you're a very honest person, and that's very commendable." He just grinned at her.

"Hey, like I said, I just go with my gut – and my gut's the most honest part of me." Sheba laughed as the ship sailed onward, off to parts unknown.


	2. Unchained

_Author's Note: Most of this chapter is cutscenes, novelized or whatever the proper term is. Anyway, they're written up textually. This chapter was supposed to go through the end of The Lost Age, but I found that with what went on after the final cutscene, it was a bit much. So here, in its glory, is chapter 2! __Golden Sun: The Lost Age__, the Golden Sun universe, and the characters are © Camelot. "Unchained" is by Van Halen, and is available on their album "Fair Warning" as well as the compilation album "Best of Both Worlds"._

_Special thanks to Mesoforte for reviewing the previous chapter, and thanks to all my readers._

Chapter 2: Unchained

The climb had been harrowing. The battle against Karst and Agatio in dragon form had drained the Adepts, and Felix in particular seemed to be more determined than ever to light the beacon quickly. The perpetual blizzard was much stronger up here, and only a small wind buffer that Ivan and Sheba had set up using their Psynergy kept the group from blowing away. As they approached the aerie, a voice boomed in their ears. "Betrayers, you have arrived!"

Garet looked around, seeking the source of the voice. "Who said that!?"

Mia looked as well, shielding her eyes from the blizzard. "The wind's too strong!" she shouted. "I can't see anything!"

"I heart it too, but I don't see anyone else up here!" called Sheba, her voice barely echoing over the howling gale.

"Felix!" shouted Piers. "Quick! Cast the Mars Star in before anything has a chance to stop us!" Felix nodded, heading toward the beacon when a strong force pushed him back. It wasn't the wind, he could tell that much by how it pushed.

"So," boomed the unfamiliar voice, "you are still intent on lighting the beacon of Mars Lighthouse?"

Isaac stepped forward, steeling himself against the strengthened winds. "Who said that!?" he called into the storm.

"Have you forgotten me so soon, Isaac?" asked the voice. "And you, Garet?" Isaac and Garet looked at each other in confusion.

"It seems to know you, Isaac," said Ivan, just loudly enough to be heard. "Do you have any idea who it is?" Isaac and Garet both shook their heads.

"Then search your heart, boy!" cried the voice.

Kraden's eyes seemed to spark with realization. "That voice…"

"It's… the Wise One!" shouted Garet, finally seeing the rocky guardian through the blizzard.

Kraden's eyebrows rose into his hair. "Isaac, since when are you on a first-name basis with the Wise One?" he shouted.

"It must have been," whispered Jenna. "Isaac, what happened in Sol Sanctum after we were kidnapped?" she called. The young blond warrior frowned.

"When Saturos and Menardi stole the Elemental Stars, they also triggered a volcanic eruption. The Wise One prevented Mt. Aleph from erupting so that Garet and I could escape," he said.

Ivan looked at Isaac, confused. "But… wait, Mt. Aleph _did_ erupt! There was a huge explosion!" he shouted. "We saw it all the way in Vault!"

Garet turned and looked at the confused Jupiter Adept. "But it would have erupted with us still inside," he explained. "There was no way we could have escaped in time."

"The Wise One held off the eruption until we could escape," continued Isaac. "He even halted the lava flow."

"I can't believe it," said Mia. "Nobody has enough power to do that…" She was clearly awed by this tale.

Garet shook his head. "I know it sounds weird," he said, a note of anger in his voice, "but I was there, and it happened, so you'll just have to believe us!"

"If it can do all that," argued Piers, "this Wise One seems more like a god than an Adept!" The Wise One floated over to the group.

"I did not just save you," he said. "I also tasked you with recovering the four Elemental Stars." Isaac turned and looked at him; the young Venus Adept had been paying more attention to his companions than to the Wise One. "Why have you disobeyed my command? Why have you come to light the beacon?"

"Because Prox will be destroyed if we don't!" shouted Jenna. "We can't let that happen…"

"Prox?" asked the Wise One, a note of disdain in his voice. "They have brought this disaster upon themselves."

"Are you saying we should just abandon them to die?" asked Sheba, astonished. "What did they do to deserve that!?"

"The people of Prox have committed an unforgivable sin," said the Wise One. "They must pay the price."

"For lighting the lighthouses? Is that their sin?" asked Isaac. "Does that warrant total destruction?"

"If we don't light the beacon, Gaia Falls will eventually erode away all of Weyard!" argued Mia. The Wise One narrowed his eye at her objection.

"We have fought for so long to save all the people of our world, and now you would stop us?" questioned Piers.

"Gaia Falls is growing," said Sheba. "It's consuming more and more with each passing day!"

"How can you just allow the world to crumble into nothingness?" asked Jenna. The Wise One's eye widened.

"The seal needs to be broken!" shouted Sheba. "The world will be destroyed if it's not!" The Wise One looked the group over.

"You have learned far too much," he said. The Adepts looked among themselves.

"Wise One!" shouted Kraden, shocked. "You can't continue to protect the lighthouses! You know what's happening! It is your duty to protect all of Weyard! If Weyard is destroyed, you will have failed us all!" The group looked expectantly at The Wise One, but he remained silent.

"Why won't you answer us, Wise One?" asked Jenna.

The Wise One's eye narrowed. "If Alchemy is unleashed, mankind may well destroy all of Weyard itself."

Kraden was visibly angry. "But we can combine our strengths, ensure that Alchemy not be used for evil…"

The Wise One closed his eye and, in a sorrowful tone, proclaimed, "It is inevitable. In time, one man will seek to rule over all. It is human nature, inescapable. He looked to the southeast, glowing with Psynergetic light. "And it shall come sooner than any of you think."

Kraden, ever curious, asked, "Why do you say that?"

"The Water Adept who climbs toward the peak of Mt. Aleph even as we speak… Is he not a friend of yours?" asked the Wise One. Again, the Adepts looked at each other. There was a bright flash. "Alex is his name. Surely, you have not forgotten him?" The Adepts looked at the still-glowing Wise One.

"Alex!?" cried Jenna. "What would he be doing on Mt. Aleph?"

"He understands far more than you do," said the Wise One sadly, closing his eye. "He knows that when the four beacons have been lit… Their light will gather at Sol Sanctum."

"But what would he gain from being there?" asked Kraden.

"When the final beam of light reaches the peak of Mt. Aleph," said the Wise One, looking directly at Kraden, "the Golden Sun shall rise."

"The Golden Sun!?" asked Kraden. "What is that? And what would Alex want with it?" The Wise One turned to face them, looking around the Aerie before answering.

"When the four beams merge into one, they form a golden light, bathing Mt. Aleph's peak."

Ivan's face turned pensive. "Is… Is that Alchemy?" he asked. "I mean, pure Alchemy made real, at the heart of its power?" The Wise One fell silent.

Kraden's brain had made a connection. "And it's that light that gives shape to the Stone of Sages?" he asked. The Wise One suddenly stopped glowing.

"This has been Alex's one true desire from the very start," he said, looking directly at Kraden.

Piers's face had darkened, and he appeared angry. "Alex planned all of this?" he said, his normally calm voice becoming almost rigidly rhythmic. "Then he must have been after this power all along!"

Garet turned to face the southeast and glared. "We've been duped! He used us all! Oh, you'd better believe he's not getting away with this!" yelled the Mars Adept.

Mia's face, meanwhile, held a mix of shock and revulsion. "Alex," she said. "How could he do this? He's… He's one of my own people! I feel sick… disgusted…" Her face, to those watching, had a slightly reddish tint to it.

"None of that matters right now," said Isaac, his voice as cold as iron and sharp as the Sol Blade he now carried. "We still have to light the beacon. We don't have any choice." He looked the Wise One directly in the eye before turning to Felix. The other Adepts looked at him. "If we don't do it now, Prox will be destroyed! Felix… We have to, right?"

"Absolutely," agreed Felix.

"You bet we do!" said Sheba. "The Wise One will have to deal with Alex on his own."

"I cannot interfere in the actions of mankind," said the Wise One, his voice flat and emotionless.

Sheba and Jenna looked at each other, and then Jenna smirked at the Wise One and said, "If you can't interfere, then how about getting out of our way so we can light the beacon, huh?"

Ivan grinned. "Ooo… Good one, Jenna!"

Garet nodded hesitantly. "I don't like doing exactly what Alex wants," he said, "but it's looking like we've got no choice…"

"Don't worry," said Isaac, his voice filled with resolve. "Just throw the Mars Star into the beacon's well! Now!" Felix nodded and approached the well, but the Wise One began glowing with Psynergy. Shocked, Felix backed off.

"Wise One!" admonished Piers. "Didn't you just say that you aren't allowed to interfere with our actions?"

The Wise One closed his eye. "That is correct. I cannot stop you." The eye opened a fraction of an inch. "But… what if some miracle were to occur, one that prevented you from igniting the beacon?"

The Adepts looked at each other again. "Miracle?" asked Piers. "What are you talking about? What kind of miracle?" The Wise One flashed once, then stopped glowing again.

"If you can defeat a miracle," he said, "only then can you ignite the beacon's flame."

"The Wise One is up to something!" called Kraden. "Be wary, everyone! We don't know what he's capable of!" As the Adepts nodded in agreement, the Wise One shrank, vanishing from their view. With a great roar, a three-headed dragon flew and landed on the aerie between the Adepts and the beacon's well.

Sheba stared at the dragon for a moment. "A three-headed dragon? _That's_ your miracle?" she asked, clearly underwhelmed by the recent turn of events.

Piers shook his head. "So you would have us fight for our future?" he asked, a note of anger in his voice. "Fine, then fight we shall!"

"What's he thinking?" asked Garet, his tone exasperated. "We already beat a two-headed dragon. How much tougher can this one be?"

"I don't care how many heads it has," said Mia, looking at the dragon. "Nothing's going to stop us now!"

"Let's do it!" shouted Ivan. "For Prox! For the future of Weyard!"

Kraden looked at the dragon, running through the facts out loud. "Wait a second… Wasn't that two-headed dragon actually… So that means this three-headed dragon must be…" His eyes widened with shock. "Felix! NO! You mustn't fight that dragon! It's–" Garet cut him off.

"Too late, Kraden! We can't get away from it now!"

"Felix, don't!" shouted Kraden. "Stop!!"

With a scream, the dragon attacked them. Sidestepping its massive claw, the Adepts began their assault.

--

The darkness was coming. Karst could feel it, as surely as she could now feel the icy chill on her bones. "N… no…. must… stay… awake…" Her breath was becoming labored, and it was a chore to keep thinking. But she had to keep her mind active, keep breathing, keep _living_. "A…gatio…"

The heavily armored warrior was having a worse time of it. "Cold… so… close…" He closed his eyes. "I… can feel… my heart… slowing…." He tried to think, but it was becoming so hard… his mind was clouding over… "Karst… why… so long…"

"Trouble… the eye… has…" Karst coughed; a small amount of blood came up with her cough, staining her teeth. "But… perhaps… he will… suc…ceed…" She could feel it too; her heart was beginning its slow, deathly wind-down. "Must… keep… breathing," she whispered. "Must… keep… heartbeat…"

"We… are dying…" whispered Agatio. "It… is… inevitable…" He breathed in; his breath was a choking wheeze. "But first… I… must see… the beacon… restored…" With great effort, Karst turned her head to look at him. The man's eyes were filming over, even as his ragged breaths produced tiny wisps of steam in the frosted tower.

"We must," she whispered. "And… we… shall…" Her mind continued to fight, though now the darkness was spreading, engulfing her mind. She hoped Felix would light the beacon soon; to die down here, of cold, was a truly ignomious and unsuiting death. She would not be so dishonored.

--

The battle had lasted for nigh-on two hours now, the Dragon having fought long and hard with every last ounce of its energy. Two of its heads lay near it, having been severed from it with explosive Psynergetic blasts. It was a miracle that all the Adepts were still standing. After surviving a particularly harrowing attack, Felix raised his arms. "Mistress of Rainbows, Keeper of the Gates of Heaven, I call your power to me! I summon you, Iris, the Rainbow Goddess!" A giant specter of a figure appeared behind the dragon, and a shadowy landscape showed the Dragon being flung headfirst into the sun.

As the summoned spirit replenished the Adepts' health, Garet raised his sword. "Take _this!_" he shouted, slicing the final head off. Panting, the Adepts stepped back from the dragon.

The dragon's body and severed heads glowed brightly for several seconds before they disappeared, each head turning into a single person. "…Who are they?" asked Ivan, looking at the bodies.

"That's what I was trying to warn you about!" said Kraden. "It wasn't just the dragon you killed…"

"I remember you warning us," said Garet, furrowing his brow, "but it was too late for us to stop…"

"Kraden, what do you know?" asked Mia. "Why were you trying to stop us from fighting the dragon?"

The aged scholar closed his eyes and hung his head. "It was the Wise One's final trap," he said, his voice bitter.

"Trap?" asked Ivan, glancing for a moment at Kraden. "What do you mean?"

"The Wise One knew he couldn't stop you," explained Kraden, his voice heavy with sorrow, "so he played a cruel, wretched trick on you instead."

Isaac arched an eyebrow at the old man. "Kraden, I don't understand," he said. "What are you trying to tell us?"

Jenna, however, was impatient. "Sheba," she said, "let's see who these people are while they try to sort this out." Kraden's eyes flew open and he turned to look at Jenna.

"No, Jenna!" he shouted. "Don't look! You mustn't look! It will only bring you pain…"

Sheba looked at Kraden while Jenna approached the bodies. "What are you talking about, Kraden?" she asked. "They can't hurt us anymore… We'll just –" Jenna had reached the bodies and brushed the hair off of the face of one when she turned as pale as a ghost, yelped, and backed away, quivering with fear. "What's the matter, Jenna?" she asked. Jenna just stared at the bodies; everyone else looked at her.

"It… can't be," whispered Jenna. "How? How…"

One of the fallen people, a brown-haired man, let out a pained groan. Isaac immediately turned to look at him. "What is it, Isaac?" asked Mia. Isaac said nothing as the brown-haired man groaned again.

"Isaac!" shouted Garet, eyes wide. "I… I know that guy! That's your dad!"

Sheba shot a look at Garet. "Then… does that mean… the other two are…" Garet nodded at her.

"Mom… Dad," whispered Jenna, horrified. Her parents merely groaned as she, Isaac, and Garet ran towards them. Piers then rushed to Jenna's side.

"I'll heal Jenna's parents!" he called. "Quickly, Mia! Tend to Isaac's father!" The two of them positioned themselves near their charges and began healing. For ten minutes they focused, occasionally swapping djinn with the other adepts to gain new Psynergy; there were even a few points where they tried flipping through the Tomegathericon for resuscitation magic.

"If only," Kraden despaired. "If only I'd realized it sooner…" He walked up to the group, standing next to Jenna. He had been something of a surrogate grandfather to her on the trip, and he hoped that his presence was comforting.

After a few more minutes, Piers stopped healing; sweat was dripping from his brow and he was breathing heavily. "What's the matter, Piers?" asked Sheba. "Why did you stop? Jenna's parents need you…" Shortly after she said that, Mia collapsed into a kneeling position, her breath ragged, looking as though she had just completed two marathons with no break.

"Don't give up, Mia," said Ivan encouragingly. "You can't! You have to save them…"

"It's no use, Ivan," said Mia, panting heavily. "I'm tapped…"

"I am, too," said Piers, a few drops of sweat plinking onto the stones of the aerie. "And even if I weren't, it's just too late…"

"What are you saying!?" cried Jenna, grabbing Piers's shoulder. "They're not… They can't be…"

"That's not what I'm saying, Jenna… I…" Piers trailed off as her grip tightened.

"I had finally found them… I was going to be with them again… for the first time in years…" Tears fell from her eyes, staining Piers's headdress. Sheba looked at her friend, reaching for her.

"Jenna…" Jenna, however, was kneeling next to her parents.

"Please… It can't be… Mom… Wake up!" she shouted, tears welled up in her eyes. "It's me… It's Jenna! …Don't leave me…" Another pair of tears leaked from her eyes, these dampening her mother's blouse. Kraden walked over to Jenna and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Jenna, you must prepare yourself for what comes next," he said. "Being transformed into a dragon, fighting in that form… This requires tremendous power." She looked up at him, sniffing and blinking in an attempt to hold back tears.

"What are you saying, Kraden?" she asked. Kraden sighed.

"In fighting you, your parents were forced to use every last ounce of their energy," he said quietly.

"They don't have the strength to…" Jenna couldn't hold back the tears anymore; she hid her face, as if she thought she could keep everyone from knowing that she was weeping.

"Even if they had won the battle," said Kraden, "they would not have survived… You cannot blame yourself…"

Garet, disgusted and angry, walked down the stairs that led to the well, stopping halfway. ""You monster!!" he shouted to the wind. "Why did you do this? Why did you make us fight Jenna's parents?"

"You're no god!" shouted Sheba, casting her voice to the winds. "You're no protector! You're evil!"

Piers, meanwhile, turned from Jenna to call out to the heavens. "You don't understand the pain you have caused, Wise One. You have no idea the damage done to a child who learns she has destroyed her parents."

"That's enough," said Isaac, his voice quiet but firm. "I knew what I was doing the moment I raised my sword." Felix looked at him and nodded. "We defied the Wise One in order to save the world. Our parents would understand. Don't you think so, Felix?"

"I do," said Felix quietly, nodding as he locked eyes with Isaac.

"You're right," said Jenna, reaching for Piers's arm. "It hurts, but it's true. We didn't do this for ourselves. We did it for all of Weyard."

Garet looked at Felix. "We still have a chance to save Prox," he remarked.

Sheba frowned. "Perhaps we can't save your parents, but we can save countless others," she said.

"Kyle and the others saved them, too," said Ivan, his face sorrowful. "They sacrificed their lives so that we could go on."

"I never imagined that my actions would help save the world," muttered Piers, holding Jenna's hand in a comforting manner.

"Even though lighting the beacon may create wars and strife," said Mia, "I regret none of this." She stood up, taking a deep breath.

"There's little time left, Felix," said Kraden. "Use the Mars Star and light the beacon."

"All right," said Felix, walking over to the beacon and carefully casting the round sphere in. As he did, he thought of Karst, and her sacrifice to Prox to make sure the beacon was lit. The Lighthouse split in four, from base to aerie, and a great red sphere of Mars Psynergy rose, pulsing and flashing.

"The beacon is lit!" cried Mia, looking at it as it bathed everything in a brilliant red light.

"And to think," said Ivan, marveling at it, "I joined this quest hoping to prevent exactly this from happening…"

"And I began this quest as a prisoner," said Sheba, "taken against my will." Its sheer beauty had captivated her.

"And if that tidal wave hadn't sent me far off course, I wouldn't even be here now," said Piers; the beacon's light at once attracted and repelled him. It was a strange thing.

"How many lives have been taken and changed forever just to light this beacon?" asked Garet. Everyone nodded.

Jenna sighed, half relieved and half sorrowful. "Mom… Dad… Weyard is safe now," she said, smiling sadly.

"You're right!" shouted a young boy's voice. "I hear voices, too!" Everyone looked around the aerie, half-expecting someone to be standing there.

"I told you… I told you I could hear them!" shouted a young girl's voice.

"Who said that?" asked Isaac. "Where are you?!"

"We're in Imil!" said the girl. "We're at the base of Mercury Lighthouse!"

"You… You can't be!" said Mia.

--

At the base of Mercury Lighthouse, Megan and Justin stood blocking the entrance, much to the irritation of an elderly man and woman who had come to see inside the place. "You… You can't be!" came Mia's voice. Justin jumped up and down.

"Hey! I know that voice!" he shouted excitedly. "It's Mia, I just know it! Mia!!"

"It's you!" said Mia, her voice amazed. Megan and Justin grinned at each other.

"Of course it's us!" shouted Megan. "We can hear you, Mia! You're all right! I'm so happy!"

The old woman looked at the old man. "Who are those two kids talking to?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "They've been standing here telling everyone to leave the lighthouse… Weird couple of kids if you ask me!"

Mia's voice echoed in Megan and Justin's ears. "How is it that we can hear you?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Megan, "but he told us we'd be able to talk to you if we came here now."

"He?" asked Mia. "Who's 'he'?"

"I don't know," said Justin. "We were sleeping, and he came to us in a dream… He said, 'Go to the lighthouse!'" Justin shrugged.

"The lighthouse?" asked Mia. "Why?"

"He said that we have to deliver a message… He was too busy to do it himself," said Justin quietly.

"What message?"

"We have to warn everyone to stay clear of the lighthouses!" said Megan, looking at the two old people.

"What's going to happen?" asked Mia.

"I don't know," said Justin, "but he told us to warn people away from Mt. Aleph as well!"

"But who is 'he'!?" shouted Garet. "You still haven't told us!!"

"You're a meanie!" shouted Megan, sticking out her tongue. "I don't tell meanies anything!"

"Don't pay any attention to him," said Mia. "It's me, Mia… Can you tell me who spoke to you?"

Before Megan could say anything, Justin said, "I told you, I don't know, but he looked like a big rock… with a big, rocky eye!"

"The Wise One!" shouted Sheba.

--

Back on Mars Lighthouse's aerie, the others were looking in Imil's direction. "What could he be doing?" asked Sheba. Kraden was rubbing his chin, a ponderous expression on his face.

"Of course!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I understand… The Wise One said that when all four lighthouses have been lit, the Golden Sun will shine… When that happens, Mt. Aleph and the lighthouses will probably become quite dangerous…"

Piers looked at Kraden. "So, the Wise One is warning people in dreams, telling them to seek refuge?" he asked. Kraden nodded.

"Why would he do that!?" shouted Garet, bewildered irritation filling his voice. "You saw what he did to us… He can't be up to anything good…"

Hama's voice echoed throughout the aerie. "Have you not learned? One's actions do not always reveal one's intentions."

"Hama," whispered Ivan. "Sister…"

"Master Hama!" said Isaac. "Did you receive a message, too?"

"Yes," she said. "I was called to Jupiter Lighthouse in a dream. You have completed your quest, but I see it comes with a great loss… Your suffering has been almost unbearable."

Jenna nodded. "Master Hama… My parents…"

"I know, Jenna," said Hama, "and I am sorry. But do not give up hope for them just yet…"

"What do you mean, Master Hama?" asked Jenna, looking at Isaac, who shrugged at her.

"Appearances can be an illusion," she said. "The Wise One has a caring heart."

"He forced us to fight Isaac's and Jenna's parents!" shouted Garet. "What's so 'caring' about that!?"

"If the Wise One were truly evil," reasoned Hama, "he would not be warning me of danger in my dreams."

"Well," said Garet, backing down, "I… I guess not… But then, what's he up to?"

"We do not have time to discuss it right now," replied Hama, a note of urgency in her voice.

"She's right, said Kraden. "If the Wise One said it's not safe to be near the lighthouses, then I think we should listen." The others nodded.

"I am heading for safety, too," said Hama. "All of you must get away from the lighthouse now."

Kraden made for the aerie stairs. "Hurry, everyone!" he shouted. "Let's go!"

"What about our parents?" asked Jenna, not moving from her mother's side.

"We can't leave them behind," protested Isaac.

"I understand how you feel," said Piers, "but we won't make it if we have to take them with us!"

"Make the decision, Felix! Should we take them with us?" asked Ivan.

"Of course we should!" shouted Felix, running toward his own father.

"It's far too dangerous," said Garet, looking at the beacon as it changed from a reddish color to a black-and-gold coloration. From underneath, he could see a bright source of light streaming into it. "The Golden Sun is forming!"

"A ray of light is emanating from the beacon… from the Mars Star!" cried Piers.

"What will happen?" shouted Sheba as the lighthouse began to shake, rumbling loudly.

"The power of Alchemy will be unleashed upon the world!" shouted Kraden.

"We must take Isaac's father and Jenna's parents and flee!" said Mia, dashing for Isaac's father.

"Stop it!" shouted Garet, tugging at something. "Let go of my wrist!" The others looked at him.

"Garet, get a grip!" shouted Isaac. "No one's touching you!"

"I'm serious!" said Garet. "I…"

"The beacon!" shouted Mia.

"Jenna," said Piers, his voice reflecting the urgency of the situation. "We have to move your parents!"

"Mom!" shouted Jenna. "Dad!"

"What's happening?" asked Ivan, looking around frightened.

"There's no time for questions!" shouted Kraden. "Just carry them! Carry them and go!" As he shouted this, a wave of red-and-gold light roared up from the well and swept across the aerie, blanketing the groups in its light. They rushed to the elevator, riding it down to the base. Once there, they rushed to Prox, fleeing the still-rumbling lighthouse.

--

There was a sound behind the dragon's head statue, that of something falling. Karst could still hear it… and she could feel warmth emanating from the dragon's head statue. The source of heat drifted upwards, and Karst could see Agatio's breath-steam slow to a mere puff every few seconds. "It… is… lit," he muttered. "Finally… In peace…"

"No…" said Karst. "Not… not yet…" She was trying to stave off the darkness; there was a tunnel forming from her vision. She could still see some things, but these things were getting blurry, moving further away, turning into a light… her heart was barely beating, her breath was becoming painful, but her soul refused to leave, could not bear to leave this body, would not leave it until there was no other option…

She could feel the beacon, it called out to her, it echoed within her… _Aid me_, she thought at it. _Aid me… I must survive…_ The cold had turned her hands and feet numb, was numbing her arms and legs, her nose and ears… She turned to look at Agatio once more. His breath no longer made vapor, she couldn't see his eyes, she could barely make him out from the stone floor.

It was at that moment that the dragon's head statue glowed red, firing a wave of brilliant red Psynergy at the both of them. Karst shuddered; her eyes were becoming focused, and she could again feel her arms and legs. Laboring, she pushed herself into a seated position, looking around. The lighthouse was filled with this strange heat… A golden light spewed from the dragon's head statue. It blinded her, filled her with Mars Psynergy… the whole lighthouse must have been overflowing for it to reach down here. She began healing herself as best she could, eventually becoming strong enough to stand again. Looking at Agatio's body, she sighed. The legendary Gauntlet Warrior of Prox would rise no more.

Suddenly, a fear took hold of her. Mars Psynergy overflowing in her body had transformed her into a dragon last time. If she transformed into a dragon again, she might not be able to survive. She had to exit the lighthouse – but she couldn't leave Agatio there, not if the lighthouse was going to be flooded with Mars Psynergy. The warrior deserved a proper burial. Grabbing his body, her own body filled with an unusual strength that she recognized as the beginning of turning into a dragon, she raced for the exit. She would occasionally glance at herself to make sure that her skin, already somewhat scaly due to the nature of those born in Prox, didn't transform into fully draconic scale. Upon exiting the lighthouse, she ran further, faster than she had ever run before. She could see Prox, but she didn't want to return; a return would be filled with the shame of failure. She would find somewhere to begin anew.

Out of breath, she collapsed onto the snow. She had to release this newfound energy before it transformed her into a dragon. In a great burst of Psynergy, she shattered the ground with a massive explosion. Agatio fell into the gap, as did a great amount of earth and snow; a large stone conveniently rolled into place atop the grave. Upon the stone, Karst inscribed, "Here lies Agatio, the Gauntlet Warrior of Prox. May the Dragon God keep his soul safe." Sighing, she walked south and east, towards Imil. Perhaps there she could begin a new life.

It wasn't until she reached the mountains that she realized that her scales were no longer as pale as snow; rather, they seemed to be almost the color of Felix's skin. Scratching proved that they were still scales; they had merely changed color. She wondered if this was an effect of the golden blast of light in Mars Lighthouse; shrugging it off, she continued her journey.

--

As Alex ascended Mt. Aleph, the blue-haired Adept noticed a brilliant flash to the northwest. "The Golden Sun," he muttered excitedly. 'The very quintessence of Alchemy's power! It's beginning! Wait for me!" He continued climbing. "Please, wait! Wait until I reach the summit of Mt. Aleph!"

Four beams streaked toward Mt. Aleph. The first came from Mars Lighthouse, a brilliant red light. The second came moments later from Mercury Lighthouse, its blue light rocketing across the sky. The third was from Venus Lighthouse, a great green beam that split the sky. Finally, the beacon from Jupiter Lighthouse rocketed into place, a purple light that filled the sky above Vale. As the four beams converged, they formed a blast of golden light.

Standing atop Mt. Aleph was Alex, right beneath the center of the beams' convergence. "At last!" he shouted, still bathed in the light of the Golden Sun. "I have it! Eternal life… and limitless power! At last, the power of nature is mine to control as I will!" He walked to the edge of Mt. Aleph, raising his arms dramatically. "Rise, storms!" he bellowed. "Rise up and unleash your might upon Vale and the foothills of Mt. Aleph!" He was greeted with silence; after a few moments he looked around. "That's odd… I should have limitless power… So why can't I call up a simple storm?" The Wise One floated up to him, gazing impassively at the Mercury Adept. "Wh-who are you?" asked Alex.

The Wise One answered in a breathy whisper. "I am called the Wise One…"

"The Wise One?" asked Alex. "Vale's protector?"

"You wish to have limitless power?" whispered the Wise One in the same mockingly-breathy tone of voice.

"Wish to?" asked Alex. "I just got it!"

"No," whispered the Wise One. "Your power is nearly limitless, but it has boundaries."

"Nearly limitless?" asked Alex. "You speak in riddles. Can't you see? The power is mine!" He grinned as he looked at his hands.

"Yes," whispered the Wise One. "You also have nearly endless life. And your Psynergy is… somewhat stronger."

Alex's face twisted with rage. "If you are trying to anger me, have a little taste of exactly how much power I have attained!" His Psynergy flowed through his hand, almost overflowing as he used it to push the Wise One back a few inches. He smiled. "Look at me! My body is brimming with power!" The Wise One said nothing, using his Psynergy to thrust Alex into the ground, binding him to the earth. "How!?" cried Alex. "What's going on? I should be all-powerful! How can you defeat me?!"

The Wise One picked up Alex and slammed him back into the ground; there was a sickening crack as several of Alex's bones broke. "You are not all-powerful, Alex. Your power has limits, as does your life." The Wise One's whisper had gained a threatening quality, possibly growing from his breathy-voicedness.

"That cannot be!" shouted Alex, trying to struggle despite the pain. "Who is responsible for this treachery? Who has robbed me of my dream?"

"I, the Wise One, imbued the Mars Star with some of the power of the forming Golden Sun. It rests even now in the hands of young Isaac."

"Why?" asked Alex, not understanding this strange turn of events. He should have been all-powerful! Why didn't it work?!

The Wise One looked around as Mt. Aleph began to shake. "The heavens and earth are changing, Alex!" The breathy whisper now sounded sadistically gleeful. "You must flee now!"

"Wha-what!?" shouted Alex, eyes wide with fear.

"Mt. Aleph will soon be drawn into the heart of the earth! You must flee or join it forever!"

"Flee?!" Alex's eyes widened further. "I can't flee! I can't even move!"

"Ah, yes," whispered the Wise One. "You now see the limits of your power. If you are swallowed by the earth, you may not survive. If you survive, perhaps we shall meet again someday…" Alex looked around, his eyes moving wildly as Mt. Aleph sank quickly into the earth, a caldera of boiling lava surrounding it. Frightened, Alex's body overflowed with Psynergy, which healed him as the mountain continued to sink, though its pace had slowed slightly.

--

Isaac, Felix, and Kraden were meeting with the Elder of Prox; two days had passed since the lighting of Mars Lighthouse. "Thank you, Felix," said the Elder. "And you too, Isaac and Kraden. By lighting Mars Lighthouse, you stopped Gaia Falls from devouring our town."

"We're just glad to have helped save Weyard," replied Isaac, smiling at the Elder's statement. Master Puelle, the leader of the Proxian Defense Force, nodded.

"You've been through many trials, more than any of us can ever know," he said, his long red hair blowing in the slight breeze that played through the window.

"We ad no idea what to expect when we lit the final beacon," said Kraden, nodding at both of the Proxians. One of the others in the room, a woman, shook her head slightly.

"When we saw the flash of the beacon, we had no idea what you suffered to light it," she said.

"I thought we were done for," said Isaac. "There was n way we could escape with our parents' bodies."

"Well," conceded Kraden, "not if we hadn't pulled together and overcome our sorrows."

A young boy in the corner added, "That light was brilliant!"

Kraden sighed. "You know," he said, "I shall always regret that I didn't get to look upon the beacon's light from afar…"

The Elder smiled. "I understand your regret… As a scholar of Alchemy, you would have been most impressed," he said.

"I saw the beams of blue, red, and purple streaming out toward the southeast," said Isaac slowly.

"That's the direction in which Vale lies, is it not?" asked the woman. "Was the light headed to your hometown?" Isaac nodded.

"Indeed it was," he said. "The Wise One said the beams were going to merge into one above Mt. Aleph." Felix nodded worriedly.

"The orb of golden light we saw," said the Elder. "That was shining directly over Vale?" Kraden nodded.

"Yes. That was the Golden Sun forming over Mt. Aleph," said the scholar, a pensive expression planted firmly on his face.

"If I remember the tales correctly," said Puelle, staring into space as if trying to drudge up some lost memory. "The Golden Sun is the blast of light emitted at the very moment the Stone of Sages forms…"

Kraden's eyes widened. "Such legends exist even here? I wish I'd known that sooner!"

"I fear for Vale," said the Elder, "to think that all this energy is being released right over your hometown." Isaac and Felix nodded.

"We're all worried about that," said Isaac. "We're hoping we can return to Vale as quickly as possible." Puelle's face fell slightly.

"Oh… Is there nothing we can do to convince you to stay?" he asked.

"We had hoped you might stay in Prox a while," said the Elder, "but that sounds unlikely…"

"Don't worry," reassured Isaac. "We plan on returning as soon as things quiet down, don't we?"

"Hopefully very soon," added Felix, nodding.

"Our village will not soon forget that you saved us from the edge of destruction," said the Elder, smiling. "Do visit us again."

"When that time comes," said Kraden sadly, "I may no longer be in this world."

"Don't say that," said Puelle, clapping Kraden on the shoulder. "I'm sure a long life awaits you."

"Well, I suppose we should be departing for Vale soon," said Kraden, nodding at Isaac and Felix.

"You're right, Kraden," said Isaac. "If we don't, you-know-who might start causing trouble…"

"At least some of your cares have been remedied," said the Elder. "You must be glad to know we've brought all three back from the brink of death."

"I would not have thought it possible had I not seen it," added Puelle, grinning at Isaac and Felix.

"Even I do not fully understand it," said Kraden. "But there can be no doubt. The fire Psynergy released by the beacon rekindled their spirits. I hadn't expected so much Psynergy to be released by the lighthouse's beam… I have no real explanation other than that their life force had not been fully extinguished." He smiled. "It was a miracle, but the fire Psynergy seems to have recharged them somehow."

"And had your parents not been Adepts," said the Elder, "the wave of Psynergy would have passed them by."

Jenna's voice suddenly echoed from outside. "Isaac! What's taking you two so long? Don't keep me waiting!" Felix sighed.

"Uh-oh!" said Kraden. "It's Jenna… We're late, and she looks rather displeased with us."

"Should I tell her we're leaving now?" Isaac asked Felix. The older Venus Adept shook his head.

"There are still another couple farewells I need to say." Isaac nodded understandingly.

"I'm sorry, Jenna!" he called. "It sounds like things are going to take just a little bit longer…"

Jenna yelled her reply. "Well, I'm not going to wait much longer! If you don't come out soon, we're all leaving without you!" Felix just shook his head.

"I'll wait outside with them," said the young Proxian boy.

"I don't think they want to wait anymore, Felix," said Isaac. "We're all set to head home…"

"They have no patience whatsoever," said Kraden. "Ah, well… I suppose it is time to leave."

Puelle nodded at them. "May your journey home be safe and uneventful…"

"We shall never forget what you have done for Prox," added the Elder. The three visitors nodded before heading out. As Isaac and Kraden headed toward the ship, Felix walked over to a small pair of hastily-made headstones. One said "Agatio the Powerful", while the other said "Karst the Brilliant". Kneeling before each, Felix put a stone on their graves – though their bodies had yet to be found, it was expected they would be deep within Mars Lighthouse. After a few moments of silent praying, Felix placed a small dagger in front of Karst's grave, point buried in the snow.

"Goodbye," whispered Felix as he got up and walked to where Isaac and Kraden were waiting for him. Slowly, the three made their way to where the other Adepts were.

"What took so long?" asked Jenna once they had finally arrived. "Mom and Dad are tired of waiting for you…"

Felix's mother laughed. "That's not true, Felix. You take as long as you need to say goodbye to the people of Prox." Jenna sighed.

"Don't worry about us, Felix," agreed his father. "Puelle and the others took good care of us."

Jenna clenched her teeth. "Don't tell him that!" she said. "We'll be stuck here forever!"

Sheba smiled. "You look like you're feeling back to your old self, Jenna!"

Piers nodded, smiling at her. "You were weeping such mournful tears after the battle," he added.

Jenna glared at him. "What!? As if!" she said. "You can't prove anything!"

Mia sighed. "Go easy on her," she added. "You have to remember, she thought that both of her parents had died."

Jenna's mother smiled at her. "Oh, were you crying, Jenna?" she asked.

"No!" shouted Jenna. "I said… I said I wasn't!"

Garet frowned. "Now you've got me thinking about my family… I didn't think I'd miss them this much," he said, looking at the ground.

Ivan looked down as well "I only hope that they're all safe back in Vale," he murmured.

"I just want to be home again," said Isaac, looking towards Vale. "I want to see how my mother is doing…" There was a note of worry in his voice.

"Don't worry, Son," said Kyle, grinning. "I'm sure Dora's doing fine. She's a strong woman."

"But the last time I saw her, she looked so sick, so weak," argued Isaac quietly. "Even if nothing happened to Vale, I'm still worried…"

"Don't worry, Isaac," said Kyle, winking at his son. "I'm sure she's in wonderful shape. I think she'll be surprised to see me!" He smiled broadly and warmly.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," apologized Kraden. "At last, the time has come for us to return to Vale… As soon as we leave Prox, we'll head toward Angara, and from there, to Vale…"

Felix's mother smiled. "I can't wait to see this winged ship of yours! It sounds so incredible!" she said.

"I remember so little of our trip to Prox… This is really my first voyage on a ship," muttered Felix's dad.

"I've heard that the wind and waves make the boat rock," said Kyle, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I hope I don't get sick…"

"This ancient ship of ours actually flies above the ocean," said Kraden. "It's quite a cozy ride."

"It looks like we've got an exciting last trip ahead of us, doesn't it?" Isaac asked Felix.

"Yeah, it does," said Felix, laughing a little at his parents' exuberance and Kyle's worries.

"Wow," muttered Isaac. "Setting out like this takes me back to our own quest's start… It was so long ago."

"If you keep talking like this, we'll never go anywhere!" shouted Jenna. "Let's go, Felix!" Everyone began heading for the ship, but Isaac and Felix stayed behind, almost reluctant to put an end to this quest that had consumed eight months of their lives.

"What's the matter, boys?" asked Kraden. Garet and Jenna turned to look at them, pausing in their tracks. "Are you reluctant to depart?" continued the sage.

"Yeah, a bit," said Felix; Isaac nodded in agreement.

"It's a bit hard to believe that our quest is almost at its end," said Kraden. "I know how you feel."

"I just hope that Vale count out of this in as good a condition as Prox did," said Isaac, looking again to the southeast.

"We won't know until we get there," said Kraden, also looking in that direction.

"I can't stop thinking about how my parents are doing," said Garet, looking at Isaac.

"Were both of them in Vale?" asked Kraden. Garet nodded.

"Can't you make a guess, Kraden?" asked Jenna. "Will Vale still be standing when we arrive?"

Kraden shook his head. "Not even I can know that," he said, looking up at the sky.

Garet stared at Kraden for a moment before he gave the old sage an accusatory look. "I can see it in your eyes, Kraden!" he said. "You think something's happened, don't you?"

Kraden nodded. "It's a possibility," he said. "One that cannot be ignored…"

"If it's not there," said Isaac, "then what's the point in even going back?"

Kraden glared at Isaac. "Is that really how you feel, Isaac? What about you, Felix?"

"No," Felix said, shaking his head.

"You remember, don't you, Felix?" asked Kraden. Felix nodded. "Think about it for a moment, Isaac."

Garet arched an eyebrow at Kraden. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Our conversation with Hama after we ignited the beacon," replied Kraden.

Jenna looked at Garet, confused. "Don't you remember us talking to the children from Imil at the base of Mercury Lighthouse?" Garet paused, then nodded.

"When they were warning people away from the lighthouses?" asked Isaac. Kraden nodded.

"Yes," said the sage. "The Wise One instructed everyone to seek refuge." Garet paused, then looked at Kraden.

"Yeah," he said, "so what about it?"

A vein throbbed in Kraden's forehead, which sometimes happened while trying to teach Garet a concept the young Mars Adept just didn't quite get. "You still don't see, Garet?" he asked, half-exasperated. "Even if Vale were destroyed, I'd expect that the villagers have all escaped to safety."

Jenna nodded slowly. "I guess that's true," she said. "They might still be all right."

"That's true," agreed Garet. "So whatever happens, my family's alive!" He grinned.

"Garet," said Jenna, "can you make sure everyone else knows that?" Garet nodded and went off, Jenna following close behind. Kraden sighed with relief, now that that question had been taken care of.

"OK," he said, "let's go. The both of you! We have to catch up to everyone." And with that, the scholar began walking off. Isaac and Felix exchanged glances.

"Kraden," called Isaac. The scholar stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Why did the Wise one change our parents into a dragon? Why did he make us fight them?" he asked. "I mean, we almost killed them… He tried to make us kill our own parents. Why?"

Kraden frowned. "Do you think that he intended for them to die from the start?" he asked. Felix shook his head.

"No, that's not it," he said.

"Ah," said Kraden. "You don't understand why he put you through all this if he knew they'd survive…" Kraden paced back and forth. "We cannot hope to fathom the motives of a being as all-powerful as the Wise One…"

"You don't know either, Kraden?" asked Isaac.

Kraden nodded. "I can only hazard a guess," he said. "The Wise One… wanted to test you." Isaac and Felix exchanged glances.

"What do you mean, test us?" asked Isaac.

Kraden continued to pace. "I cannot tell you more… It is up to you to find the answer," he said. "Will we use Alchemy to wage war, to raise armies? Or will we use it to grow wise, to rise above our petty feuds and perform great deeds?" Kraden paused and looked at them. "You were willing to sacrifice everything for your quest. I'd say you've risen to this challenge." He paused and looked toward the boat; the others were already almost halway there. "Oops! Are they already that far ahead of us? We'd better hurry and catch up to the others before they leave us behind!" He gave a side glance to the two Venus Adepts. "After all, I'm not terribly interested in trying to walk all the way back to Vale. If you feel the same, then we'd better be hurrying." He grinned. "Isaac! Felix! We're off!" With his words, the three ran to catch up with the others. Next stop: Vale.


	3. Return

_Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 3, wherein we finally see the end of the Golden Sun: The Lost Age novelization. The ending cutscene was fun to work with, and incredibly fun to block. Be warned, this chapter is the longest of the lot, and while normally I'd apologize for the wait, I believe the chapter's length explains the long time involved. __Golden Sun: The Lost Age__, the Golden Sun universe, and the characters are © Camelot. "Return" is by OK Go, and is available on their album "OK Go"._

_Again, many thanks to Mesoforte for the kind review, and thanks to all my readers who didn't review. Your hits make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Enjoy Chapter 3._

Chapter 3: Return

Jenna sighed contentedly. "Finally! We've reached Vale," she said, grinning as they left the boat behind them, sitting in the river. Garet was unusually silent as they walked through the foothills of Mt. Aleph.

"What's the matter, Garet?" asked Sheba, who was walking next to him. "You're finally home again. Aren't you happy?"

"Garet's just worried about what's happened to everyone in Vale," said Ivan. He seemed to imply that Garet's reaction was perfectly logical.

"So it's just over that last hill?" asked Mia. Although she had been to Vale before, it had been several months and she'd only been there once. Isaac nodded as he led the way.

"I can't wait to see what your hometown looks like," said Piers, grinning at Jenna. She grinned back at him, her arm around his waist.

"It's beautiful," said Kraden. "I'm sure you will like it, Piers."

Felix's dad stopped halfway up the last hill. "I'm… just going to close my eyes," he said. "Someone tell me if it's all right to open them."

"Me too," said Felix's mother, and both adults closed their eyes. "Would someone else see how things are?"

"I'll go," said Isaac. "Come with me, Felix." Felix nodded, walking up the hill alongside Isaac.

"How's it look, Isaac?" asked Kyle as they neared the hilltop. Isaac turned around to address his father.

"I'm almost there," he called back. As he and Felix crested the hill, he turned around. He was filled with shock as he surveyed the scene. "It… It can't be," he whispered.

"What is it, Isaac?" asked Jenna. After getting no response, she added, "…Felix?" When her brother failed to respond, she shouted, "Say something!"

"I'm sorry, Jenna, but… Vale… Mt. Aleph… They're gone!" exclaimed Felix, looking at what had once been the mountain town of Vale.

"What!?" exclaimed Garet, running up to join them. His mouth dropped in horror. The others rushed up to look; in a massive crater lay Mt. Aleph, the wreckage of Vale buried under hardened lava, rockslides, and the results of the previous day's thunderstorm. Mt. Aleph stood out like a sore thumb, its majestic height dwarfed by the amount it had sunken into the ground. It appeared, fortunately, to have stopped sinking for the moment.

"This… This is terrible," said Felix's father.

"Is that Mt. Aleph?" asked Felix's mother.

Isaac just stared at the crater. "Mom," he whispered.

"Dora," said Kyle, the sight almost too devastating to keep looking at.

"Mom… Dad," said Garet, looking out at the mass of wreckage, debris, and rock that had once been a town.

Jenna let go of Piers, approaching her friends. "Isaac… Garet… What can I do?" she asked. "What can I say to comfort you? They're here somewhere… They have to be here…"

"What can we do?" asked Piers, looking at Kraden. "How can we help them now?"

"I don't know," said the sage. "Call out to them… such a tragedy…" The elderly man sighed.

"I'll call them," said Felix, walking over to the three. "Isaac… Garet… I understand what you're feeling," he said. "I've felt it, too. But standing here won't bring them back. Let's go back to Vault. We can rest there and think…"

Isaac and Kyle remained silent, staring at the crater. Garet, meanwhile, turned to Felix. "Your family's safe, Felix. You don't have anything to worry about anymore… But what am I supposed to do?" he asked. "…I'm all alone now." He blinked back a couple tears.

Sheba was no longer staring at the crater; something on the outskirts of a nearby clump of trees had her giggling. "Aw… Poor baby," she giggled, flashing a smile at Garet before turning her attention back to the clump of trees.

Jenna, who was paying attention to Garet, Isaac, and Kyle, turned to look at Sheba. "Sheba, what's gotten into you? How could you say that to Garet?" Sheba, meanwhile, had pointed Mia to the clump of trees, and the Water Adept had begun to giggle as well.

"Tee hee! I wonder…" Mia and Sheba were now working toward alerting everyone else of the amazing sight nearby the clump of trees.

"Sheba, Mia!?" said Garet, choking up and letting a few tears loose. "You think this is funny!? I've lost everyone! My whole family!" He sniffed.

"Garet!" shouted a deep male voice. "Don't be so sad!" The voice sounded familiar to Isaac, though he couldn't quite place it… It did, however, seem to be coming from that clump of trees that several of the group were now extraordinarily interested in. "I'd thought you'd be a little more confident after all your adventures!" added the voice. Isaac looked in the direction it was coming from and let out a little gasp.

"Ha ha!" shouted a little boy's voice as Isaac tapped Garet on the shoulder. "I got to see my brother crying!" Garet looked in the direction Isaac had pointed in and, in an instant, grinned. Standing there, perfectly safe, was his family.

"So, you made it back, Garet," said Mr. Vulcan, grinning. "I knew it would take more than this to beat you, Son."

Mrs. Vulcan smiled at her son. "Welcome home, Garet," she said, grinning.

Garet's grandfather, the Mayor of Vale, chuckled. "You look surprised to see us, Garet," he said, leaning on his walking stick. Kyle turned, looked, and grinned.

"How did you survive?" he asked, indicating the wrecked city.

Garet's sister, Kay, answered. "The Wise One warned us of danger. He guided us here to safety."

Garet's grandmother sighed. "Everything was destroyed… Our homes, our town…"

"But the Wise One saved you all?" asked Kraden. Mr. Vulcan nodded.

Garet grinned. "I'm… I'm not alone!" He walked over to his family, pausing only to grab Sheba's wrist and drag her over with him.

"If you all made it out," said Kraden, "did Dora as well?" Mrs. Vulcan just smiled and indicated someone coming up the road. She smiled as Kyle and Isaac rushed her.

"Dora," said Kyle.

"…Mom," said Isaac.

"Welcome home, Kyle… Isaac…" Dora had tears in her eyes as she looked at her husband and her son.

"You survived!!" shouted Kyle, the joy in his voice overwhelming.

"So did you," said Dora, tears flowing down her face. The three of them hugged. "So did you." The other villagers approached as well; they seemed to have been hiding in Vault.

Mrs. Vulcan, meanwhile, was busy with Felix's parents – or rather, she was busy hugging them. "Anthony, Rose, you're alive!" Felix's father grinned. "We thought you were dead!"

"No, no, we were quite alive, I assure you," said Anthony. "Just… out of contact. So how's Greg been?"

"Oh, he's been fine, though I think he obsessed about Garet a bit while he was away." She looked; currently her husband was being introduced to Sheba. "Still, I think it's good to see my son home for good."

"I agree, Sarah," said Rose, chuckling. "I was worried for Felix when he was taken with the others… and when I'd heard about them kidnapping Jenna, well… At least Felix was there." Sarah nodded.

Meanwhile, Garet was introducing his companions to his family. "You remember Ivan, and Mia," he said, pointing to the other two Adepts. "This is Sheba. Sheba, this is Dad, Granddad, Grandma, Kay, and Aaron." Sheba bowed respectfully to the gathered Mars Adepts. "Kay's the one who had the garden I told you about."

"The garden that your training stone crushed part of," muttered Kay, her tone slightly miffed. She smiled at Sheba. "He probably didn't mention that, did he?"

"No, not really," said Sheba. "Though he did say it was beautiful." She grinned. "I'd love to see what you can do, I'm sure that your next garden will be just as beautiful." Kay blushed.

"Well, I try," she said. "Although where it'll be… Vale's gone, so unless we rebuild…" She shrugged. "We can worry about that later though. Right now…" She looked over at Isaac, who was chatting animatedly with his parents. "Right now, I've got some friends to welcome back. It was nice meeting you, Sheba, and I hope to see you around a lot." She winked at the Wind Adept before heading over to Isaac's family.

"She knows?" whispered Garet.

"You made it fairly obvious," whispered Sheba right back. "You're just lucky nobody was paying attention." Garet sighed, turning slightly red. His father grinned at him.

"Don't worry, we can keep a secret," he said, walking over to Sheba and shaking her hand. "Any rate… What happened on your adventure?" As Kay approached Isaac's family, she heard Dora talking about what had been happening in Vale.

"Well, I'm sure Isaac's told you already, but last summer I came down with a bit of a cold," she said. "Isaac and the others were apparently nearby, so they stopped to see me – which was, of course, unnecessary, as I was doing fine, and you really had a quest you should've been getting to…"

"Mrs. Dora," said Kay, "don't lie, you had the flu. Pretty nasty case." The family turned to look at her.

"It wasn't that bad," muttered Dora. "I was being well taken care of, the Innkeeper was being very nice and your family was there to help." Kay smiled.

"It was no trouble at all, Mrs. Dora," said Kay. "And I'm glad to see that you're back safe, Isaac. And it's a surprise to see you, Mr. Stein, I thought you had died." Kyle laughed. "You aren't dead, are you?" Kyle shook his head, grinning.

"No, but you've certainly grown. Almost four years… Those years made quite the difference."

"You should have seen my garden," said Kay. "By the time the earthquake struck, it had completely surrounded the house and was working on the neighbors'."

"Impressive," said Kyle.

"I thought it had conquered the neighbors' lawns when we stopped by in the spring," joked Isaac, smiling at her. "So… how's your family been?" he asked, shifting the topic away from his mother's health and his adventures – he didn't quite want his family to know that he had failed in his quest.

"Mom and Dad have both been worried sick about Garet, no surprise there," she said. "Your little visit helped a lot, though. Aaron's been doing his best to follow the instructions that Garet apparently gave him – apparently he told him to 'protect the family', which I'm fairly certain was separate from his idea to put beetles in my hair." She sighed. "Granddad's been thinking of stepping down, Grandma's been going through a book a day, and… well… I've been visiting your mom a lot to make sure she doesn't get lonely." Isaac nodded.

"Seems about normal," he said. After a few moments of awkward silence, his parents having gone to chat with Jenna's family, Isaac put a hand on Kay's shoulder. "…I missed you, Kay." His voice was quiet.

"You missed me?" asked Kay, half-smiling at him. "As in, 'I wish I were back in Vale with everyone' or 'I wish Kay were here right now'?" Isaac didn't really respond; he just nodded. After a pause, Kay just sighed. "The garden's gone now, Isaac," she said. "You can't use it as an excuse anymore."

Isaac sighed. "I know." Kay carefully lifted his hand off her shoulder and took it in hers. Isaac merely looked at the ground. "…Kay, it's been eight long months. I understand if it's too late for me to be saying this…" The older girl continued to hold his hand. "I like you. I've liked you for a while. Although you probably like someone else… I just figured – "

"Isaac," said Kay, "if I like someone else, why am I holding your hand? You're not five." Isaac chuckled. "Truth is, I wanted you to return as much as your mom did. True, the garden excuse was a bit awkward, but… I like you. You make me laugh. And I make you laugh." She pulled him into a hug. "Mom did warn me that I'd fall for a guy shorter than me."

Isaac, surprised for a moment, recovered quickly. "Your mom only said that because you're taller than everyone except your brother," he said, returning the hug. Kay laughed. "So… what now?"

"Now," said Kay, "you're supposed to introduce me to your teammates, starting with my brother's secret girlfriend." Isaac grinned.

"Oh, you mean the secret girlfriend who I caught him making out with one night on the boat?" he asked, walking over to Garet's family with Kay. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Well, it was late, I was on guard duty, and I decided to take a small break, so I went down from the observation deck to the front of the boat, and there were Garet and Sheba, sitting there, not caring who was watching as they locked lips! Well, eventually Sheba noticed me, and then both of them turned bright red, and they said I had to keep it a secret. Of course, I made them promise in turn to not use their guard shifts for make-out sessions." He paused, then added, "I bet the others know and haven't told them yet. Oh, how funny that would be."

Garet blinked at Isaac as he walked over. "…Isaac, I know you're glad everyone's safe, but that's no reason to be hol…wait…" He looked between the two. "Bit of an odd couple, aren't you? I mean, you're not exactly Felix, Isaac, you can't match her height." Kay rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though… This is kinda sudden, Isaac. I mean, I know the two of you like gardening, but…"

"Garet," said Kay, "the garden's been a metaphor for romance for over a year now." In an absolutely deadpan tone, she added, "And Isaac's lucky about nine months ago." Garet blinked, blinked again, and made a disgusted face.

"Ugh! Get the images out of my head!" he shouted. "Isaac, how could you?! She's my sister! Gyah!" Kay bopped him on the head. "Ow."

"Calm down, Garet," said Isaac. "We haven't done that yet." He smiled at Kay.

"'Yet' implies that you will someday," muttered Garet. "Which still brings up those images." He shuddered. "Ugh. I'm going to have to do something about that… Sheba, do you know of any mind-scrubbing Psynergy?" The Wind Adept shook her head. "Worth a shot," he muttered.

"So I overheard you talking about 'the incident'," said Sheba, addressing Isaac. "I checked minds during one of my watches – Piers and Jenna suspect, but have no proof, Mia, Ivan, Felix, and Kraden don't know, and you know." Isaac and Kay looked at each other.

"Why the secrecy, though?" asked Kay. "I mean, wouldn't everyone be excited?" Sheba shrugged.

"Partly habit," she said, "especially since Garet and I didn't want to distract everyone from what we were doing. And, well, even though it hasn't gotten further than some kissing, I'm underage, and I don't want people hovering over my shoulder every moment Garet and I are together. He understands my boundaries and respects them." She smiled slyly at him. "Even if he is a bit blunt at times."

Meanwhile, Ivan, Mia, and Kraden were standing at the edge, looking into the crater. "How long d'you think it'll take to fill up?" asked Ivan.

"It depends on how much rain this area gets," replied Mia. "With nowhere to go, the water's just going to sit there…"

"Vale usually gets quite a bit of rain," said Kraden, "especially during the fall. I imagine once we actually hit autumn, it'll fill up quickly." He turned around, seeing the entire population of Vale standing near the foot of the hill, the Great Healer walking up the hill. The old scholar walked down the hill to meet him, Ivan and Mia staying at the edge of the cliff.

"So you're going to return to Contigo now?" Ivan didn't respond immediately, looking at Mt. Aleph. "I mean, your sister's there, even if we didn't hear anything about your birth parents…"

"I might," said Ivan. "I know I'm glad to have a sister. On the other hand…" He sat cross-legged near the cliff's edge. "I really want to see Master Hammet again, and do more with the caravan…" He shrugged. "Either way, we've got enough money to do whatever we want, for a week or two at least. If I stay in Kalay, I'll probably invest all of my money in the caravan." He looked toward the peak of Mt. Aleph. "You know what? I bet this will eventually be the Great Angaran Sea, and it'll lead to a river that dumps into the Karagol. Mt. Aleph will be known as Aleph Isle, and Sol Sanctum will be…" Ivan paused. "Now there's an interesting question… I wonder if the entrance to Sol Sanctum is level with this cliff." He looked up at Mia. "So what are you planning on doing?"

"Returning to Imil for now… I'd like to go back to see Colosso properly, though. I know that Sean and Ouranos are planning on competing in the next one, perhaps I can watch them." Ivan nodded. "Maybe visit Lalivero again, too…" She sat down next to him. "What do you think happened to Alex?"

"No idea," said Ivan. "He's not here, and Mt. Aleph is half-buried. I don't want to make any really rash guesses, but it'd be safe to say that, for now at least, he's not a large threat – or at least not an omnipresent one."

"I suppose it'd be too much hope to suggest that instead of absorbing the power of the Golden Sun, the Golden Sun absorbed him?" asked Mia, her tone bitter. Ivan nodded.

"Definitely. If he made it to the top of Mt. Aleph in time, then he's got the power of Alchemy." Ivan paused before adding, "Well, except the small bit that's in the Mars Star. I still can't believe the Wise One gave that to Isaac… Makes me wonder what happened to the other stars."

Felix was staring out at the forest. It wouldn't be long, he knew, before Garet's grandfather found out that, in saving the world, Felix had broken one of the greatest commandments Vale had ever set down – he had not only stolen from Sol Sanctum, but lit the Lighthouses. He also knew that while the Mayor would be sympathetic, he would be iron-bound by the law. Sighing, he walked down the hill to where Kraden and the Great Healer were speaking. "Great Healer, I – " The Great Healer interrupted him.

"Had no choice," said the Great Healer. "I know. However, the Mayor must still punish you for your crimes. I only hope he will take the wise route – some of your crimes can be seen as quite heavy if the circumstances aren't taken into consideration." The Great Healer nodded at Kraden. "Your scholarly friend has assured me you were acting in Vale's – no, the world's best interest. And the Wise One told me it would be your task and yours alone to light the beacons…" Felix just nodded. "I hope that the Mayor will be lenient with you – or, at least, as lenient as a man in his position can be." Felix nodded.

"Great Healer, with your leave, I'm going to talk to the Mayor now." The Great Healer nodded, and Felix bowed before walking over to the Vulcans. Addressing the eldest Vulcan, he said, "Mayor, I… have something I need to talk to you about."

Garet, Sheba, and Isaac noticed Felix's expression, and quickly assembled the other four companions; Kraden was again engrossed in conversation with the Great Healer. The Mayor of Vale waited patiently for them to gather before nodding at Felix. "I have a feeling I know what you wish to talk about, Master Brown, but continue."

"I lit the Lighthouses, to save the world. I know that I aided in stealing the Elemental Stars from the Sanctum, and that I aided in the kidnapping of Jenna, Kraden, and Sheba… We had a duty to do, though, one that involved lighting the lighthouses. Otherwise, Gaia Falls would have swallowed Weyard whole." The Mayor nodded. "I understand that I will have to be sentenced for these actions," said Felix. "My friends have no guilt in this – I am the one who lit the beacons. I will take on whatever sentences they would get." The Mayor sighed.

"Felix… I understand." The Mayor's gaze hardened for a moment. "Felix Brown, as you have admitted your guilt and taken upon yourself guilt for any misdeeds the assembled Adepts have committed by the laws of Vale, I hereby exercise my duty as Mayor to sentence offenders of the highest caliber." After a pause, he said, "I sentence you to be exiled from Vale for a period of no less than eight months, not to exceed one year. You are to leave town tonight, and may come no closer to Vale than Vault for the duration of your sentence." The old man sighed. "I wish you the best of luck, Felix." Felix nodded, then turned to leave the group. His friends followed.

"…I knew we wouldn't get off easy, but exile? And why did you take all the blame?" asked Garet.

"Garet's right," said Isaac. "We all should have been exiled if you were, we aided you in getting Mars lit."

"Brother," said Jenna, "you can't just leave…"

"I have to," said Felix. "This is my burden, my punishment for allowing you to be kidnapped and for stealing from Sol Sanctum." He sighed. "This is, ultimately, my reward."

"A terrible burden," muttered Isaac. "The Great Healer said that about you, back when we first set out. Seems a lot worse than having to light the beacons." Felix just nodded quietly. "And I'm sure he would not wish exile on anyone, especially you."

"Where will you go?" asked Ivan. "Most of Angara will recognize you…"

"Imil," replied Felix. "Saturos and Menardi wreaked havoc in the south, but they stayed quiet in the north. The only thing they did was to push down a stack of person-like trees, and that was Saturos's doing." Jenna nodded. "I am afraid I must go now… Sunset is approaching, and I have to be gone by sunrise."

"We'll all miss you, Felix," said Sheba, giving him a hug.

"Indeed," said Piers. "However, I am glad that your exile is only temporary, unlike mine…" He held out a hand for the Venus Adept to shake; Felix pulled him into a hug.

"Don't marry her until I get back," he whispered into the Lemurian's ear. "I want to see my sister's wedding." Letting go of Piers, Felix turned to the three Valeans. "I'll write every week, I swear it." They smiled at him. "And I'll return after a year. I hope to see you all." With that, Felix hefted his pack and wandered off, his hand on the axe looped through his belt.

"What about your share of our wealth?" called Ivan. Felix turned around.

"Use it to purchase materials to rebuild Vale," he replied. "I'll make enough to get by somehow." Ivan nodded as Felix turned around.

The group watched him leave, seeing him turn east before he reached Vault. "What now?" asked Isaac, once Felix was out of sight.

"We help you rebuild," replied Ivan. "Felix's share is going to Vale, and I plan on making sure it gets spent wisely." He looked at Mt. Aleph's recessed peak. "Besides, I think we owe it to your town." Isaac looked at Mia, Sheba, and Piers.

"And you?" he asked them. "Mia, I know you have people back in Imil who rely on you…"

"They can survive with Megan and Justin while I help rebuild a town; I'll just have to send them a letter and they'll understand," said Mia, grinning. "Besides, it's not like I'm shirking my duties – I'm helping a great number of people by doing this, which is the greatest duty of the Mercury Clan." Isaac sighed, then turned to Piers.

"Piers… I'm guessing you'll want to stay with Jenna, then?" Piers grinned and nodded. "I figured as much – you're like a rose and its thorns, completely inseparable." He turned to Sheba. "But what about you, Sheba? Faran must be worried sick about you…" Sheba shrugged.

"I'll just do what Mia's doing, I'll send a letter to him. Faran will understand." Isaac nodded. "Anyway, I'm actually a little excited… I'd be willing to bet things get done a lot sooner when all of the rebuilders are Adepts." Isaac shrugged.

"Well then," he said, "let's go inform the Mayor. We should probably begin tomorrow. Who knows? With our help, Vale might be rebuilt by winter."

--

In the first month, thunderstorms crashed over the site of New Vale twelve times, a regular fall occurrence when Vale had been standing. The crater was filling up quickly, and some suspected that Lake Vale would become a tourist attraction on par with the Karagol by the time their lakeside village was done. Already a Sanctum had been built, as well as a new smithy and an herbalist's shop. The Herbalist was pleased with the building, although she was less-than-pleased that she would need to re-stock everything. A few houses were being built, but mostly everyone was living in tents.

Meanwhile, far to the northeast in Imil, Felix was celebrating his one-month anniversary of exile by engaging in a game of darts with a local braggart. The man claimed that he could beat anyone at darts, and so Felix had taken it upon himself to right the man's opinion. So far, the braggart was leading by fifty-six points, they were on the final round, and it was Felix's turn. He knew that once these were thrown, the game would be decided. Silently, he cursed Imilan dartboards – without doubles or triples, his usual tactics were useless. Aiming carefully, he threw the first dart.

"Twenty points, bringing the gap to thirty-six," said the braggart. "You keep thinking this is a fancy foreign dartboard, my friend. Bad mistake to make." Felix just rolled his eyes and threw the second dart, which landed in the outer bull's eye. "Twenty-five points. Brings you down to eleven." Felix stared at the board, whose almost psychotic numbering system placed all of the numbers Felix needed to win between numbers that would cause him to lose – in some cases quite horribly. He closed his eyes, steeled himself, and aimed for the bull's eye, knowing full well it wouldn't hit.

Everyone took a moment to look at the board, and then Felix turned to sit down at the bar and have a drink. "But… I don't understand," said the braggart. "I'm supposed to be the best at this game! I've regularly beaten everyone!" Felix paid the man no mind as he waved to the barkeeper.

"A glass of ale, please," said Felix, and the barkeep nodded, walking over to a keg and tapping it, filling up the glass he had just been cleaning. Felix laid a couple coins on the counter as the ale was placed in front of him. He took a long draught from it as he contemplated the last month.

He had started his journey by heading to Bilibin, where he'd done a few odd jobs for the inn for a week to raise the necessary money for provisions; he had wanted to get to Imil with a few coins and some food in case he couldn't get a job or a place to stay. Fortunately for him, the kids at the Sanctum had been very helpful once they'd found out he was a friend of Mia's (her first letter had told them to expect him). While there, he was making money at darts and cards, having earned something of a reputation as a gambler. Looking into the glass, he mused that it might even be true. He didn't bother looking up as someone entered the bar and sat next to him.

"Barkeep!" said the person who sat next to him. The voice sounded familiar, in certain ways. It was definitely a woman. Felix turned; whoever it was had their hood up and a heavy travel cloak on, and her pale skin was mostly covered, save her forearms and hands. The barkeep walked over. "A glass of mead, and quick," she said. Felix turned back to his drink. After she had received her drink, he heard her say, "Hello, Felix."

Felix paused mid-gulp, setting down his glass slowly. "…How did you know who I am, stranger?" he asked. She chuckled.

"Stranger, huh? Well, maybe. Although I know you from someone I once knew." Felix raised his eyebrow at her curious remark. "Or perhaps you mean that I'm a stranger to Imil? Also true." She took a long draught of mead; Felix noted that her skin seemed rather dry. "I bet you know a place where I can stay without paying," she continued. "I'm going to be spending all my money on this drink and the tip."

"And… why would I help a total stranger?" asked Felix.

"Because you knew her once. I'll explain if you take me somewhere I can stay for free that doesn't leave me freezing my ass off." Felix paused, then nodded.

"All right," he said, "but your explanation had better be good." He finished off his beer.

"Oh, I think it'll be good enough," she said, chuckling mysteriously as she continued to drink. "After all, it's not something I could lie to you about." Draining her glass, she left seven coins and a few bits of pocket lint on the table. "Come on," she said. "I want to prove it to you as soon as possible." Felix put a two-coin tip on the table, then followed the woman out. Leaning against the bar was a scythe, which the woman grabbed and slung across her back. "Lead on, Felix," she said.

Felix led her back to the Sanctum, taking her over the bridge instead of across the ice, even though the bridge was a slower route. After all, it was still early autumn; the ice hadn't frozen enough to support a person's weight. As soon as they were inside, Felix nodded at her. "This place will be willing to put you up if you're a good person and you respect the Sanctum." The woman nodded, her hood shifting as she looked at everything. Finally, she turned to him.

"You want to know why I know you would help?" she asked. Her hands raised to either side of the hood before pulling it down, exposing her face. Felix's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Despite the lengthened hair, and despite her shortened (though still pointed) ears, there was no doubt in his mind. This was Karst, her red hair longer than he had remembered, though still the same shade, and her eyes still black as coal, though no longer smoldering with rage.

"…You can't be… you died…" Felix backed up slightly. Karst looked toward the Sanctum door. "You were turned into a dragon… you couldn't have survived even if you'd beaten us…"

"I am Karst, of the Fire Clan of Prox," she said. "And I know that when the body of a Northern Clanswoman is exposed to a truly powerful source of Psynergy and overflows with it, she turns into a dragon." She looked Felix in the eye. "And I lived long enough to see the beacon lit. I could feel its warmth, down in that cold room."

Felix backed off slightly. "Then… how did you survive?" he asked. "The light only flooded the aerie…" He looked; behind him was a wall, and to either side was a bench.

"I cannot explain it, except to say that the light passed by us as it rose to the aerie, and another light passed by us as it also rose to the aerie." She took a few steps toward him. "Agatio, despite being a brave and powerful warrior, felt his mission was over once the beacon was lit. I, of course, disagreed, feeling that I had to continue living. Agatio could sacrifice himself; that was all well and good." She shook her head. "But I… I needed more. I could not call my life complete, I could not say that I was quite ready to sacrifice myself when hope remained for my survival." She was close to him, barely three feet away.

"And so… you managed to persevere?" asked Felix.

"I probably would have died were it not for the second light," said Karst, "but yes, I persevered. As I regained my strength, I could feel my Psynergy overflowing… I had to leave the lighthouse before it transformed me into a dragon again. I grabbed Agatio and dashed… I saw you leaving, but felt shame. I could never equal your heroism, not then, not now, and so I ran with Agatio, into the frozen northern wastes." She hung her head. "He is buried not more than a day's journey from Mars Lighthouse, and I have come to Imil to start anew… only to find you here."

"…So… will you be leaving now?" asked Felix, somewhat confused.

"I don't think I could," said Karst. "I have no money, few people would hire a Proxian since the… colorful journey of my sister and her companion, and I'm just not the kind of person to take on anything except an honorable job, and most of the jobs they have available for Proxians down south are disreputable." Felix shrugged.

"What now, then?" asked Felix.

"…I don't know. If this place has free room and board…" She shook her head. "I need money, which I can't get, I need a roof, which I might, and I need someone to talk to, and you're probably the only one willing." She sighed. "Five weeks alone wandering the wastes is lonely. You miss the conversations the most, but…" She was very close, and grabbed his hand. "Your hands are still warm," she said, smiling. "I remember those warm hands…"

"Karst… Why didn't you return to Prox?" asked Felix. "They would have been overjoyed to see you return."

"Perhaps," she agreed. "But if I had gone back, I wouldn't have come here… and I wouldn't have seen you again." She smiled at him. "I'm really grateful to you for lighting the beacon… even if you did have to team up with that rat bastard Isaac to do it." Felix sighed.

"Karst… Isaac was defending himself. He fought your sister and Saturos as equals, and they still almost lost despite being outnumbered. It's why Isaac can't grow facial hair." Karst chuckled. "I'm serious," said Felix. "He fought them as a warrior, and they died honorable deaths in battle. I saw, but was ordered not to help… I was told to take Sheba to the ship."

"I see," said Karst. "And… did he understand, eventually?" Felix nodded. "Good… It's important. Even if he was a wimp when we first met." Felix rolled his eyes. "Anyway… I'm glad I ran into you, Felix." Slowly, she let go of his hand and sat down on a bench. "So what's been going on in the world lately?" she asked.

Felix sat down next to her. "Well, for starters, Vale's gone," he said. "The moment the Golden Sun formed, it and Mt. Aleph began sinking into the ground. Mt. Aleph's becoming Lake Vale now, with Aleph Isle in the center. Apparently they've begun work on some houses now, and the village stops at the cliff – if the lake's big enough, they've planned a harbor."

"Vale's gone, but Prox survived. A sad irony… My sister and her companion will be remembered as villains, you and Isaac as heroes, and yet our home town stands and yours must be rebuilt." Karst sighed. "Please… continue. What of the rest of the world?"

"From what I've seen, that's doing well also. Of course, as we haven't been in correspondence with them, we've only got Ivan and Sheba's word on that…"

"Well, hopefully Gaia Falls will stop wearing away the world," said Karst. "I know Puelle and the Elder predicted it, but unless you can get water to run uphill, I doubt the world will stop falling over the edge."

"I've seen it happen." She playfully nudged him.

"You lie!" she said, laughing.

"I truth!" he replied, grinning. After a few moments of silence, Felix looked at her. "I'm glad you're still alive."

"If it's got anything to do with you fighting us – "

"Absolutely nothing," interrupted Felix. "Your death… it was horrible. I didn't want you to be dead. I didn't like the idea of you being dead." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You were my first friend in Prox, even if you weren't always… what's the word…"

"Nice? I know there were a few times when I was downright mean, but give me a break. I was thirteen when you arrived." She placed an arm around his waist. "And when I met you on our quests… well, I was angry that my sister had been killed – or rather, from what I knew at the time, murdered."

Felix looked at her. "…Karst, can I ask you something?" She nodded. "What were you going to tell me before I left with Saturos, Menardi, and Alex?" A bright pink tint appeared in her scales.

"…It was unimportant," she said.

"I want to know," said Felix. "It must've been important if you took me aside before we set off…"

"…I… just wanted to wish you good luck…" Felix arched an eyebrow at her.

"But you did wish me good luck… Right as we were leaving, you shouted, 'Good luck, Felix, and don't get yourself killed or I'll kill you!' Sounds like wishing someone good luck to me," he reasoned. Karst turned even pinker.

"I… I meant more…" She looked around; Justin and Megan were busy setting up the candles on the altar. After making sure they weren't looking, she stood up, dragged Felix to his feet, wrapped him in an embrace, and kissed him on the lips. Upon her embrace, Felix's eyes widened, only widening further as she kissed him. After a moment of shock, he embraced her and kissed back. After a few moments, they separated.

"I see what you mean." He smiled at her. "I'll help you get a room, and then maybe I can show you around, help you find a job…"

"She could work here!" shouted Justin, grinning at the two of them. "I mean, it's not going to pay, necessarily, but it'd be a good home, good meals – we get free meals from the innkeeper – other stuff…" Justin shrugged. "If you wanted to." Karst laughed.

"Maybe," she said. "I might take you up on that. The prospect of free meals strikes me as good, but I've never been too religious," she said.

"Oh, you can be a record-keeper or an usher, or you could keep the Sanctum at night," said Megan, grinning at Karst. "We can always use more people… and if you like staying up late you can keep the Sanctum at night and call us in if anyone needs healing." Karst chuckled. "What do you say?"

"The last one seems pretty good… Though I'd be sleeping during the day," she said. "And if Felix ever leaves, I'll leave too, just so you know…"

"It's OK," said Justin. "Just do us a favor, don't share a room." Felix and Karst both blushed, then laughed. It was going to be an interesting several months.

--

Four months had passed since the beginning of the construction of New Vale. Most of the houses were done, and two new ones were being constructed: one for Piers and Jenna to share after their wedding, set for the month after Felix returned, and one for Isaac and Kay, who had moved in together and were planning on marrying eventually. For now, though, Piers stayed with the Vulcan family in Garet's room, Sheba was sleeping with Jenna at the Stein house, and Mia was staying in Kay's old room at the Vulcan house. The town also had an inn, and tourists were beginning to arrive to look at the midwinter view of Lake Aleph. Ivan and Kraden were headed toward Vault; once there, they would meet Hammet's merchant train and head south, Kraden heading to Tolbi while Ivan went with Master Hammet to Xian. Mia was sleeping in Kay's old room for now; she was planning on staying until New Vale was complete, which included a newly planned harbor and a Town Gate.

In Imil, Felix and Karst had been enjoying themselves, Felix switching to a nocturnal schedule for the Proxian's benefit (and occasionally taking her out for dinner). They tended to spend the late hours between the bars closing and sunrise by talking with each other, but as daytime grew shorter, the two young priests had begun setting candles that would tell the two foreigners when to wake them. Felix had, of course, allowed Karst to read the reply he'd gotten from Isaac after he'd mentioned that she was alive. It had been quite entertaining.

As Ivan and Kraden left Vale, they talked among themselves. "I'm telling you," said Ivan, "there'll be enough fish in that lake that by the time I come up with the caravan next year, we'll be getting Lake Vale fish for sale down south." Ivan grinned. "I'm glad, too, it gives us another stop."

"Not all lakes have fish, Ivan," reminded Kraden. "And not all lake-fish are sellable. How can you say that Lake Vale will produce fish that people will want?"

"If nothing else," said Ivan, "then the Psynergy stone in the lakebed. Coupled with the huge amounts of Venus Psynergy, that'll fill the lake with plants, which fish will nest in, creating great amounts. And if nothing else, the fish will probably taste good enough that selling in bulk wouldn't be a problem." Kraden nodded skeptically.

"It could happen, or there could be such massive runoff that the water begins to change, becoming murky," said the sage. "After a few more years, Lake Aleph becomes uninhabitable."

"You forget the river, Kraden," said Ivan. "The Sol River runs down into the Karagol, which eventually empties into the Western Ocean." He paused. "Well, it used to, now it meanders through part of Hesperia before pouring into the Heart Sea." Kraden nodded. "So if anything, it'll dump out into the Western Ocean after a very long journey."

"I guess," replied Kraden. "It's still got to get decent fish, though." Ivan nodded, conceding the point as they arrived in Vale. "I take it that's Master Hammet's caravan?" asked Kraden. Ivan nodded.

"Yeah," he said, grinning as they approached. "Bunza, this is Kraden. He's the one I wrote you about." Bunza nodded. "Kraden, this is Bunza. He helped with the rescue of Master Hammet."

Bunza bowed. "Master Kraden. It's an honor to meet you." He turned to Ivan. "Hammet's dealing with the smith, Ivan; I think he's negotiating the price of that Suhallan steel you recommended. How'd you come up with that idea?"

"Passed through there on the way to Lalivero; did you get it in Tolbi or – "

"Yes, we didn't have time to go down to Suhalla, so it may have been a little bit more expensive, but now we've got something to sell up here instead of just buying supplies for the caravan and water and ale to trade in Altin." Ivan nodded. Kraden, meanwhile, was inspecting the wagons. "Oh, master Kraden, you're in the wagon with Ivan, Hammet, and myself." Kraden nodded. "That's this first one, I'll let you set your belongings in there while we wait for Hammet."

"So it's like when Master Hammet figured out that spices from Kalay would sell really well in Xian?" asked Ivan. Bunza nodded. "Interesting… I've got some ideas myself for things we could do…" As Kraden was putting his bags in the back of the wagon, Master Hammet walked through the door of the smithy, talking with the local smithy, who was grinning broadly.

"And then," said Master Hammet, "if you can believe it, he walks right up to the hat-rack and says, 'Sir, if you do not stop your untoward advances toward my wife, I shall have to challenge you to fisticuffs!'" The smith howled with laughter. "I tell you, never will I encounter a man who provided more hilarious moments while drunk!"

Kraden stifled a small chuckle. "He should meet Lord Iodem over a few drinks," muttered the old sage, grinning. "I think Master Hammet would be pleasantly surprised."

"Master Hammet!" called Ivan, running up to the rotund merchant and giving him a great hug. "Glad to see you again, sir!" Hammet chuckled.

"Ah, Ivan, my boy! It's so good to see you again, you'll have to tell me all about the quest! Did you manage to save the world?" Ivan grinned. "Ah, there'll be time for stories later. I notice that in your letter you mentioned a guest who would accompany us to Kalay? Could you introduce me?" Ivan nodded, leading him over to Kraden.

"Master Hammet, this is the Sage Kraden. Kraden, this is Master Hammet." Hammet chuckled. "Kraden's done a lot of research into Alchemy, and accompanied us on the last leg of our quest." Hammet nodded, taking Kraden's hand and shaking warmly.

"An honor, Master Kraden." Hammet chuckled. "I see you're joining us until Kalay?"

"Indeed, Master Hammet," said Kraden. "I'm expected back in Tolbi, you see, and I plan on heading there once we've made the Golden Port." Hammet nodded. "It was awfully kind of you to offer me this ride."

"Anything for a friend of Ivan's," said Hammet. "So long as it's legal – I don't deal in the black market. Too much risk for the reward, and I'm the ruler of the city to boot." Kraden chuckled. "So… Bunza, I think we're done here." Hammet turned to the smith. "Master Jacobson, I expect to see you this summer." Turning to Ivan, he said, "Ivan, help Master Kraden into the wagon, and we'll be off shortly." Ivan nodded, helping Kraden up. After Hammet and Bunza had gotten into the wagon, Hammet shouted, "All right, boys! Off to Kalay!"

The journey by horse was much faster than it had been by foot, but it would still take them two or three days sticking to the roads. Ivan had informed Kraden of this fact, and as the caravan ran along the roads, Kraden began discussing the history of trade with Bunza, who was knowledgeable on the subject. Ivan, meanwhile, was telling Hammet about their adventures. "After getting the boat, we sailed due east. The problem was, we couldn't reach Lemuria – the seas kept shifting. Even in our Lemurian ship, we were hard-pressed to reach the fabled island."

"Hmm… That could present a barrier to trade if things stay that way. I take it eventually you'll find a way?" asked Hammet.

"Felix already knows one, so when the time comes I'll be able to ask him and he can draw us up a map. Anyway, after that fiasco – which we repeated many times over – we eventually sailed around to the south. I got us some supplies at a small rural village called Daila… Daila was hit hard by the tidal waves." Hammet nodded. "It took every trick I learned from you to get enough supplies, but in the end we got them. As we learned, Felix had passed through there, apparently heading to the Western Sea – well, we couldn't stand there."

"And so you sailed west and chased him down." Ivan nodded. "You eventually caught up with him, right?"

"Yes, on Jupiter Lighthouse in Atteka. Climbing the lighthouse was a bit of a chore, but… Well, we made it, and that's what counts. And that's when we got attacked by two more Proxians – after they'd tricked Garet and Mia into falling down a trap." Ivan sighed. "Isaac and I couldn't match their strength, but Felix's group came to our aid – I wasn't sure I quite believed it, but there they were, helping me and Isaac up." Hammet nodded. "After… well… failing to prevent the lighthouse from being lit, we met with Felix at…" Ivan swallowed. "Well, we met with Felix and learned that if Alchemy wasn't released, the world would die. At least, that was Kraden's thesis, and I have to admit that it makes a bit of sense when you look at it."

"Hmm… Yes, I can see it. As Layana would often put it, 'The vomiting may be unpleasant but the poison is deadlier.' Of course, she would also say that about my mother's cooking, so…" Kraden laughed, as did Ivan. "Still, loosing Alchemy on the world… Who knows what new opportunities it could create?"

"Atteka collided with Gondowan a couple weeks ago, and Hesperia slammed into Angara last month, you must've felt the crash," said Kraden. "I imagine there will be a large amount of new trade now that everyone's closer together." Hammet nodded cautiously.

"Perhaps," agreed Hammet. "However, people are often hesitant to trade with strangers. Even so, you must never give up – as I always say, 'As long as you have goods and people are willing to buy, you must do everything in your power to sell to them!'"

"I think I may know of some things they could use in those villages," said Ivan. "Hesperia and Atteka have some small villages that we can trade with, and if things go well we might end up creating a trade hub or two." Hammet smiled. "…It's good to be here, Master Hammet." Hammet chuckled.

"It's good to have you back, Ivan," said Hammet. "…I take it you found your family, then?" he asked. Ivan paused, then nodded slowly. "Ivan, if you want to return to them, I'll understand. After all, they are your family."

"It's just my sister now," muttered Ivan. "But… I know that I'd like to see her again." He sighed. "On the other hand, I want to stay with you. And I've got some ideas for trade with areas of Angara and bypassing the Lamakan." Hammet raised his eyebrows. "I know it sounds unusual, but if we can build a bridge over the southern part of the Yatha River, we can get to the coastline and then travel through the Hwejung Mountains and up to the rest of Silk Road."

"Ivan, there's no real pass through the Hwejung mountains."

"Actually," said Kraden, "there is a pass, near the village of Champa. It lies to the south of Xian. And that village might be willing to begin acting as a trade hub on the Eastern Ocean." Hammet pondered over this, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.

"It could," said Hammet. "But you called it a 'village', and unless you and I have different ideas about what that term means, that means that it would be awfully poor. We can already get ores and gems from Altin, as well as getting certain Gondowanian products from Tolbi. The region's very rocky if it's near a pass in the Hwejung, so I doubt it's arable land. Fish, maybe, although we'd be competing against the already well-established Karagol fish market, which would be very difficult and, to be honest, a larger sink of resources than I'd be willing to attempt." Hammet flashed a grin before saying, "Unless the ocean is fresh-water, of course." The occupants of the caravan shared a laugh.

"Well, we could resupply there," said Ivan. "That'd help at least a little. After all, don't you always say that the best way to build a city is to supply a caravan?" Hammet nodded. "So we resupply there, and every time we pass by we get supplies." Hammet smiled.

"That could help," said Hammet. "But we'd best be careful not to overdo it. After all, too much of a good thing is still too much."

"Agreed," said Kraden. "Now then… What do you do during the ride?" he asked.

"Well," said Hammet, "that depends. Usually after a sale it's bookkeeping, or inventory, and then once we're done with that, if we have the time, we play a game of cards. So, since we have a guest, we'll skip work for now and play cards." Hammet looked at Ivan. "Ivan, when Master Kraden leaves, we'll begin crossing the Lamakan, so I'll need you to do bookkeeping. Bunza and I will have to check inventory." Ivan nodded, and Hammet began dealing cards. As they sat and played cards, the conversation drifted in various directions. Hammet, of course, would begin telling jokes and funny stories when the conversation lulled, which was much appreciated.

After two days, they reached Kalay. "Master Kraden," said Hammet, extending his hand to the old man as he left, "it has been an honor and a pleasure." Kraden grinned at Hammet.

"The pleasure's all mine," said Kraden, bowing respectfully to Hammet. "Good luck crossing the Lamakan."

"We may need it; the desert's gotten fiercer, and if it's gotten any worse since last time, the horses may just barely make it." Hammet looked eastward worriedly. "It's going to be a long journey either way." Turning back to Kraden, he said, "So, how are you heading to Tolbi? Are you walking Silk Road, or are you crossing the Karagol?"

"I think," replied Kraden, "that I'll stick to the road. Take the scenic route, you know." Hammet nodded. As Kraden climbed out of the wagon, Ivan grinned and waved at the old scholar. Kraden waved back, smiling. As soon as the group was out of sight, the old man began walking toward Silk Road, pondering this and that. His trip was uneventful, except an encounter with a runaway horse that almost trampled the old man. The man who chased after it seemed wiry, but tough, and as he continued walking Kraden wondered whether the man was from the Snow River Valley.

As he approached Tolbi, a pair of soldiers approached him. "Master Kraden!" they shouted. "Master Kraden, Lord Iodem wishes your counsel!" Kraden nodded.

"Lead me to him," he said, following the guards as they led him through the city and toward the palace of Babi. Standing at the front gate were Iodem and Faran, the former's once-black hair graying at the temples. "Lord Iodem, Lord Faran. How are you two gentlemen doing?"

"Master Sage Kraden," said Faran, bowing. "I'm doing excellently, thank you, and I hope you're doing well also." He turned to Iodem. "I shall take this into consideration; while we do not wish to be under Tolbian control, some forces to aid with the pirate attacks would be most welcome." Kraden arched an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later," Iodem told him, turning back to Faran and shaking the younger man's hand. "I hope to see you soon, my friend." After Faran had left, Iodem hugged Kraden. "Kraden, it's good to have you back!" he said.

"It's good to be back, Faran, but why are you hugging me?" The younger man chuckled as he let go.

"Because you're like a beloved uncle to me, Kraden." Faran grinned. "And a trusted advisor to boot. So, shall we?" And with that, Iodem motioned for the front doors to be opened. Kraden smirked at the younger man as he walked in. "The pirates attacked recently, within the last month, from some land we've never heard of, A Half Rod or something, Iodem was rather rushed and the name sounds unlike any place in Angara or Gondowan."

"Alhafra?" asked Kraden. "If that's the place's name… it's in Osenia. I'm not sure why they'd resort to piracy, though I wouldn't put it past their mayor. He's a very corrupt man." Iodem nodded. "Also, I take it you know about the continents that rammed into us…"

"Only that they rammed into us, and are apparently Atteka and Hesperia," said Iodem, walking with Kraden to the castle's library. "I was wondering if you could shed light on them for me."

"Atteka's got some small villages, nothing of note, except for Contigo, which is right next to a crater. I assume you've seen the recent shooting star from the moon?" asked Kraden. Iodem nodded. "That crater housed the city of the Anemos, according to legend, and I believe that shooting star may in fact be their city returning from the moon. Or returning from being the moon, though I doubt very much that a city of the moon's size ever existed on the face of Weyard. Given the distance it would have to be, combined with the shooting star… I very much doubt the City of the Anemos is actually the moon."

"Why do you think they'd return at all?" asked Iodem.

"Simple: Alchemy has been unleashed again. I was there when the last beacon was lit, and I saw the lights stream toward Mt. Aleph," said Kraden. "You must have seen that – or if not that, then the great burst of light from the forming of the Stone of Sages."

"I saw both of those… So you think that light shone all the way to the moon?" asked Iodem, walking toward the map room with his advisor.

"I'd be very surprised if it didn't," replied Kraden. "If I could see it from Prox, in the depths of night, I would imagine that people on the moon could see it. The sky lit up like day." Iodem nodded. "I'd be willing to bet they'll return soon, if only to see what happened to the rest of the world."

"I see. Well, we can talk about it more later. In the meantime, I'm sure you'll want to rest – it's likely been a very busy time for you," said Iodem. "You just take all the time you need to relax, Kraden. I'll be in my old room if you need anything." Kraden chuckled as he walked the shelves of the library. A few scholars were staring at him; they had paused in whatever they were doing as soon as he had entered. Then, slowly, applause began to echo through the room as they began cheering the triumphant return of the Master Sage. Kraden smiled at them.

At a break in the applause, he addressed the crowd. "My students," he said, smiling, "it's good to be back." Thunderous applause and mighty cheers filled the room as Kraden laughed to himself, walking up to the shelves and taking out the personal journal he'd left blank upon heading to Vale all that time ago. He had a lot of catching up to do, and there was no time like the present to catch up in.

--

Two months had passed since Ivan and Kraden had left New Vale. Sheba was now the official "Laliveran Emissary", whatever that entailed, while Piers was the "Lemurian Ambassador" – even though he was technically exiled. New Vale was finally complete, with a larger inn, a harbor, and a slowly growing population of freshwater fish, the loose sediment in the water having flown downriver since the lake finished filling up from the late winter thaw. Mia had been enjoying life there, keeping in touch with Megan and Justin – who had apparently decided that they didn't actually need Mia physically there so long as they could ask her for advice in each letter. Mia chuckled to herself; the twins were certainly an interesting pair.

Isaac and Kay had married a few weeks after Ivan left, and Jenna had worn some sort of frilly white dress that didn't suit her at all – but as it was Kay's wedding, and Jenna was the "maid of honor", whatever that meant, the dress went on. Mia had had to stifle a giggle at the sight. Jenna had burned the dress after the wedding.

Now, with New Vale completed, Isaac announced a plan to try out for Colosso, this time going through the actual trials. Garet immediately jumped up to tag along; he had wanted to compete in the world-famous athletic competition last year, but couldn't due to the circumstances. He also insisted on taking Sheba along so that she could see Faran; the Mayor of Lalivero was certain to be at the games, he reasoned, and this would be an excellent opportunity.

Mia wanted to watch the whole thing this year; they had missed most of last year's Colosso and it looked to be an interesting event, if the finals were any indication. Megan and Justin were handling things wonderfully in Imil, and so she didn't feel much guilt as she set off with the other four Adepts (Kay refused to let Isaac go off without her). The trip to Vault was uneventful, as was the trip further south. Eventually, they reached Kalay, and decided to walk down main street for a while – Colosso wasn't going to go anywhere, and they still had time no matter which route they took. Besides, Kay wanted to see what they had for sale in this city.

In Kalay, two men waited for their drinks at one of a small café's outside tables. One was blue-haired and had a bit of a roguish look about him. The other was a taller, orange-haired man who appeared strong and impatient. "Sean," said the orange-haired man, "if we don't get a move on soon, we'll never reach Colosso."

"I know, I know, but I expect Isaac will be returning, if only to watch… and if he does, he'll be coming this way." Sean smiled at the waitress as she brought their drinks, taking his with a small head-nod. "Besides, Ouranos," he added, taking a drink, "I recall you saying something about 'betting he wouldn't show.'"

"Well… He won't!" said Ouranos, downing his rather sizeable drink very quickly. "I mean, he seemed more a wandering warrior. They all did. Although I bet Garet will return. He seemed like the kind of person who'd enter Colosso for the fun of it."

Sean shrugged. "I'd like to see all of them again, truth be told. Ivan was an interesting one to talk to, and Mia… she stood back during the fight, didn't seem to get as involved as the other three. Though I could swear that they healed really fast…"

"I know. They healed faster than I'd ever seen healing… bet it didn't even leave scars." Ouranos tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, ignorant of the Adepts, who were approaching the café. Sean, on the other hand, saw them and grinned. "Doubt they'll show up, though, if they're going to go they're probably already there. Like we should be."

"Oh, I don't think so," said Sean before finishing off his drink. Standing up, he left payment on the table and walked over to the large-ish group. "Isaac, Garet, Mia," he said, nodding to each of them. "Good to see you all again."

"Hello," said Isaac, nodding back. A small smile crossed his face.

"Nice to see you again as well, Sean," said Mia, smiling at him.

"Hey, Sean!" said Garet. "…Wait, if you're here, does that mean… Is Ouranos here too?" Sean laughed.

"Yes, he's here too. So are you planning to go to Colosso this year too?" Garet and Isaac both nodded.

"Well, the boys are," said Mia. "I'm just going to watch again. I don't fight for sport." Sean grinned at her.

"Neither do Ouranos and I – we compete for the honor." He watched as Isaac and Garet approached Ouranos, who had been too busy looking for the waitress to notice Sean pay and leave the table. "Of course, I imagine they want to compete…"

"Yes," said Mia. "Oh, I forgot, there are a couple people traveling with us that you don't know." She indicated Sheba, who was looking at a robe on a rack at a vendor's stall, and Kay, who was busy perusing the open-air spice market. "Kay! Sheba! There's an old friend here I want to introduce you to!"

"Just a minute!" called Sheba, looking at the robe thoughtfully. Kay, meanwhile, brought a few packages of spice up to the vendor and paid for them before coming over.

"Who's this then, Mia?" asked Kay.

"Kay, this is Sean. Sean, this is Kay, Isaac's wife." Kay blushed slightly and grinned.

"You're a bit taller than Isaac," was all Sean said before holding out a hand. "Sean of Lunpa. A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Kay grinned.

"Kay Stein of Vale, gardener and architect. Nice t'meet you. Isaac's told me about you, apparently you vouched for him on a ship?"

"The one to Tolbi, last year before Colosso. Silk Road was blocked off, so we ended up having to take a boat – Ouranos didn't like that one bit, I can tell you now. Unfortunately, the mate wouldn't set sail without warriors to guard the oarsmen… I volunteered your husband and his friends. I had confidence in them."

Meanwhile, Isaac and Garet were sneaking up behind Ouranos. "I wonder why the waitress hasn't come yet to collect my glass," he murmured, leaning back and looking at the sky. "It's been five full minutes."

"Well, perhaps their usual customers take more time," said Garet, clapping a hand on Ouranos's shoulder. The larger man nearly jumped at the combined voice and shoulder-clap. "Might want to work on those jitters for Colosso, too." Ouranos got up quickly, grabbing both Garet and Isaac in a bear hug.

"Isaac! Garet! Are the other two here as well, or is it just you two?" The two adepts laughed as they were released from the large man's embrace.

"Ivan went off to help his father or lord or what have you's caravan a couple months ago, but Mia's here too, and we've got some friends we'd like you to meet," said Isaac, grinning. "Well, one friend and my wife."

"Pretty poor wife if she's not your friend, too," joked Ouranos, which earned him a playful slap upside the head from Garet.

"Be careful, Ouranos, that's my sister you're talking about." He smirked, then added, "Although I always knew she'd fall for a short guy. Just wasn't expecting it to be Isaac."

Ouranos nodded, spotting Mia. "I'm guessing she's the one who's making Sean look short?" he asked. Garet and Isaac nodded. "Well, let's go meet this sister of yours." He began walking over, the two adepts sharing a grin behind his back as they walked behind him.

"So were you planning on competing this year?" asked Garet.

"Definitely," said Ouranos, "and I plan on fighting Sean for the title. You?"

"Isaac and I both are; we weren't here for the trials last time, so we decided to compete together." Garet waved as he approached Sean, Kay, and Mia. "Ouranos, this is my sister, Kay. Kay, this is Ouranos, one of the guys we met on our quest. He helped protect our – "

"Boat, Sean was just telling me about that." Ouranos shuddered at the mention of the boat. "Sounded like a pretty risky trip. So…" It was about then that Sheba approached, wearing the robe she had been looking at. It was very simple, with a low-cut neck and a price tag that didn't seem to match its simplicity – until a closer look revealed that it was made entirely from one piece of extraordinarily high quality silk by a master seamstress. She smiled and waved at the gathered crowd. "Hello. I'm guessing you're friends of these three?" she asked as soon as she had approached, indicating Garet, Isaac, and Mia. "I'm Sheba."

"Indeed we are, miss Sheba. My name is Sean," said Sean, bowing and taking Sheba's hand, deftly kissing the back. "It is an honor. And this is Ouranos, my friend and partner." Ouranos bowed as Sheba blushed slightly.

"Garet could learn a thing or two about being a gentleman from you," she whispered to Sean. "So," she said, somewhat louder, "how do you know these three?" Before Sean could answer, Kay turned to Sheba.

"Isaac and the others were on a ship with them." Ouranos gave an involuntary shudder at the word "ship". Sheba arched an eyebrow at him. "Sean's apparently from Lunpa, the blue-haired rogue, and Ouranos is from… um…" She turned to Ouranos. "Where are you from, Ouranos?"

"Altin," he said. "And I told Sean that this year we're taking Silk Road. I don't care how long it is, I'm not taking that ship again. Not if it means having to sail on all that water… I don't care what you say, that much water in one place is just unnatural." He suppressed another shudder. "So if you're heading over by ship, I guess we'll just see each other in Tolbi."

"We're not," said Isaac and Garet in chorus. "I'm not all that eager to see if the Kraken is still out there," continued Garet. "That thing almost thrashed us once, I don't want to see if it comes back for revenge – or worse, if its mother is out there waiting to enact vengeance on us for chasing it off." Ouranos nodded.

"That thing was massive," he said quietly. "Well, as we're not taking the water route, how about we all travel together?" The five Adepts looked at each other, then nodded in reply. "All right!" said Ouranos, grinning. "And then Sean and I could talk with you about all our adventures together this past year."

"Sounds good," said Isaac. "We spent the past six months rebuilding our hometown."

"Really?" asked Sean as the group set off. "…I think we might've passed south of you, was it anywhere near the Sun River?"

"Near the source," said Isaac. "Although we call it the Sol." Sean nodded. "There used to be a village there called Vale." Again, Sean nodded. "You… ah… might've heard an earthquake there?"

"Yeah, was that something to do with your town, then?"

"Mt. Aleph, the mountain near our town, sank into the ground, taking the town with it. Fortunately the building went quick, and we used some of the money we'd picked up fighting monsters to help rebuild."

"Fighting monsters must be pretty lucrative to net you enough to help rebuild a town." Isaac, Garet, Mia, and Sheba nodded. "Then again, dangerous work tends to pay a lot when you don't volunteer for it," said Sean. "Makes me wonder if the money for the tickets went to the ship's mate, he was fierce."

"It was probably split between him and the captain," said Garet. "Seems like the kind of thing they'd do. Although if the mate didn't get any of it, then it was the ticket office holding all the money. The captain seemed awfully honest, if a bit superstitious." Ouranos nodded.

"I have to agree," he said. "If there was one thing the captain wasn't, it was greedy." The seven of them walked along the streets, heading out of town. "So what happened to Ivan?" asked Sean.

"Went to work for his dad or lord or something," said Ouranos. "Who is…?" he asked the others.

"Hammet of Kalay," said Garet. "Ivan explained it once, it's like an adoptive-father but also his liege lord and apparently his employer because he's a servant?" He shook his head. "Very confusing, in other words." Ouranos nodded.

"It's a lot of relationships all in one," said Kay. "Hammet's his adoptive father, his employer, and his lord. Honestly…" Garet and Ouranos just rolled their eyes at her.

"Yeah, but it's all one person," said Garet. "So he's gotta have some sort of overarching idea of what he considers Hammet. My money's on 'dad'. He seems a lot more devoted to him than lord McCoy's people were to him, or Iodem was to Babi."

"I'll give you Iodem," said Isaac, "but Lord McCoy's people thought their lord needed to toughen up with how he treated his wife instead of giving in to her every demand." Nodding in agreement, the conversation continued meandering through various topics as they walked off toward Tolbi – and with it, Colosso.

--

Colosso was four months finished. Isaac, Garet, Sean, and Ouranos had made the finals, and in a close match, Sean beat Isaac to become the champion. He and Ouranos then accepted the offer to join the Tolbi Guard, while Iodem, remembering Mia's healing capabilities and realizing the advanced age of Tolbi's main sanctum's Great Healer, asked her to take over for the aging man – to which Mia had agreed after sending a letter to Justin and Megan asking if they could handle the sanctum in Imil. Their reply had been an overwhelming "Of course!", and so Mia became the Great Healer at the Central Tolbi Sanctum. Garet, Isaac, Kay, and Sheba had returned to Vale, with Sheba having been given the official position of "Ambassador to New Vale" by her adoptive father. A Laliveran Embassy was being built for Sheba to stay at instead of sharing Jenna's room at her family's house, and it was almost complete.

For Ivan, however, it was midway through the summer caravan, and with the new bridge across the Yatha, the trip across the Lamakan was removed. Ivan and Hammet were thankful for this; it had been the worst crossing ever last winter, and they dreaded what the summer heat could do to it. It would also be their first trip through Champa – and Ivan's first trip to the village. As they approached, they could make out the waterfall, the small river town, and the pass that Kraden had marked on their maps. "This is the town," said Ivan, setting aside his map and pulling out his accounting records. "I wonder how the others are doing right now," he continued, double-checking the columns to make sure they added up.

As they approached the town, the train's guards noticed that soldiers seemed to guard the opposite side of the river and the bridge that stood across it. Slowing down, the caravan approached. "Halt!" called a Champa soldier as the caravan approached the city. "Who goes there?"

One of the guards rode up to the bridge. "The caravan of Lord Hammet of Kalay!" he called. "We wish to resupply in your town!"

"Hold a moment!" called the guard, and he called the other guards to him, sending one off. "We've sent a man to retrieve our mayor, Lord Briggs. He can negotiate with you, but we don't have much to buy new things with."

Ivan, who had been listening, looked curiously at Master Hammet. "What does he think resupply means?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," said Hammet, "but I think he's got things backwards." After a few minutes' wait, a man of about thirty-five, long brown hair kept out of his green eyes with a pirate's bandana and clothes indicating that he was at first a sailor, approached them.

"Ahoy!" said the man. "I'm Briggs, mayor around here. I understand you're a merchant. Well, as you can see, we're mostly a poor fishing town."

Hammet got out of the wagon, Ivan by his side and two guards flanking them. "I think, Lord Briggs, we have a misunderstanding. We wanted to resupply here. Meaning pick up supplies that we need, not the other way around."

"Ah, I see," said Briggs. "Well, we can't guarantee much, being a small town and all, but you're welcome to buy what you will, and we'll try and have more for you next time you stop in." He turned to the soldier on the bridge, and without further ado, called him and the other soldiers off to let Hammet's caravan through.

Hammet bowed to Briggs, grinning. "Thank you, sir. I am the merchant Hammet, we're trying a new route to Xian, so it's not far to supply for, but we do need the extra supplies now that we're leaving out a cart for crossing the Lamakan." Briggs nodded.

"I think we can set you up with something. We can't guarantee that it'll be cheap, but it'll be quality, and that's what counts, right? Afraid we can't do bulk at the moment…" Hammet nodded.

"I understand. You think you could provide meals and inn rooms for thirty people and stabling for forty horses?" Briggs's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. "Good, that's mainly what we need. And enough for… Ivan?"

"Well, if Kraden's calculations are right about route…" He pulled out the map and began tracing along the pass. "Three days in the pass, one day to Xian from there. So four days of food overall, and then we can restock again in Xian." Hammet nodded.

"Do you think you can do that?" he asked.

"Oh, most assuredly! Bed space will be cramped with thirty, but I'm sure it'll do just fine. And four days' meals for thirty, that's…" Briggs quickly summed it up on his fingers. "A lot," he finished. "We… ah… may have to use the money we get from you to buy more food." Ivan looked at the map again.

"There's a lot of arable land on the other side of this spur in the Hwejung," he said, "why not build a colony there, and then you can grow your own food? I imagine you'd be able to build the ships…"

"That's holy ground, I'd have to get my grandmother's permission to build there," said Briggs, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Anyway, if we did, how much d'you think we'd be able to do?"

Ivan looked around the village. "Hmm… let's see… I'd say you cold comfortably feed our caravan and still grow twice your size, if you used all the arable land over there. Plus there's the issue of the Hwejung themselves, which could probably be mined for ores if you tried hard enough… I'd say with a little work you could become a decent trade hub." He nodded. "It would probably take three or four years, but it would be worth it."

Hammet nodded reservedly. His estimate was closer to eight to twelve years, if the mountains yielded anything other than building rock. Sixteen minimum if they didn't. But if this helped the sale, then it would be a good deal. That night, after inventory, they would sleep well, and then they'd be off the next morning after another inventory. He didn't quite trust Briggs; the man seemed almost like a bandit or a pirate.

After inventory had been taken, Hammet and Ivan joined twenty-eight men in the rather cramped inn; it was barely able to fit them, and Ivan wasn't able to get a good night's rest. He was beginning to rethink things, and whether this town Kraden had mentioned was actually worth the trouble it should have been. But he had to be confident; after all, as Hammet said, "Confidence is what can turn a hard sell into a repeat customer."

That morning, Ivan conducted inventory, and was pleased to discover that everything was still accounted for – especially the spices, which were easily the most valuable part of their cargo. He also handled the payment for the supplies (mostly distilled riverwater, rum, and ocean fish) and began checking the ledgers. By the end of the first day in the pass, he had determined that Kraden's route would actually give them two extra days in Xian due to not having to travel both branches of Silk Road from the fork. They could just come up to Xian, drive on to Altin, and then go back the way they had come.

The fourth day arrived, and they arrived in Xian just in time to get their usual ten rooms at the inn; Ivan was to get an eleventh room, because he hadn't been with previous summer caravans and so had to buy his own room. Fortunately, the Xian Inn had enough rooms for Ivan to grab one of his own, although it reminded him of the servant's quarters back in Kalay due to its proximity to the kitchen.

As Hammet had two extra days to conduct business, he decided that the negotiations could afford to be stretched out over three days instead of crammed into one. Ivan was to be "on call" if Hammet needed someone to record the amount sold in the books. In the meantime, he decided to check out the town, stopping first at the mulberry orchards, then the smithy, and then he decided to see what had happened in the past six months at Feh's school. Feizhi had been awfully kind to him during the last trip, offering to treat him to lunch while Hammet worked out silk prices. Their lunch had ended up being cut short, but it was still a nice gesture, and Ivan figured it was because he had helped Hsu out during the quest.

As he walked through the door, he was greeted by the sight of the old log that Isaac had used the Force Orb to knock down. It appeared to be standing there still, waiting for someone to knock it down. Perhaps now his Psynergy would be strong enough to knock it over without assistance. As he approached the line, one of the students walked up to him. "Ah, the one who worked with the merchant and traveled with the warriors! Have you come to show us the power of your Ki again?" he asked. Ivan nodded. "Please! Show us how you knock down the tree."

Concentrating, Ivan tried to knock the log over with a sharp blast of wind at its top followed by one at its base. Controlling the direction of the blasts, he managed to topple the log with a swift one-two blow. The entire class burst into applause, and Ivan grinned sheepishly.

"I see you have improved with your Ki, warrior merchant," came the voice of old master Feh, his large nose growing even more pronounced as his head grew balder. His mustache was longer as well, now reaching his chin. "Ivan was your name, correct? Feizhi has waited much time to see you, Warrior Merchant Ivan." Ivan paused, then nodded.

"Er… Yes, sir, I'm Ivan. …Why did Feizhi want to see me?" From Feh's room, Ivan could hear what appeared to be an escalating fighting match.

"I will not stay here just to become your bride!" shouted a fiery female voice. "I am not destined to remain here anyway, my visions have told me that I will be leaving Xian someday forever!"

"That's not the truth and you know it!" shouted another voice, this one older and male. "Your father should be talking sense into you, Feizhi! What happened to worrying about me?"

"You can take care of yourself now," said Feizhi, slamming open the screen door with a sickening crunch as the thin wood cracked, splintered, and broke. Master Feh winced. "I am not a hand for you to hold!" Out of Feh's room came a young girl, slightly older than Ivan, with long purple hair tied back in a ponytail. "Besides, my destiny lies outside Xian, as I have said, and as I will continue to say until your head understands this saying!"

"You are mad!" shouted the male voice, and out of Feh's study came a stocky boy, about Feizhi's age, with brown hair. "You think that the Feh School will not hold your destiny and say that you will leave Xian forever, I say you have delusions! Your predictions do not come true anymore!"

Feizhi didn't respond, instead rushing out the door. Feh put his head in his hands. "Feizhi… why do you break my doors again…" He turned to Ivan. "This is the fifth time this month she has broken my door, and I fear she will not be happy until she has either torn down the school or left Xian for good. Perhaps if she understood how hard life is where she does not have a respected father to coddle her, she will come back to our way of thinking. Will you take her to where you come from and show her the error in her thoughts?" Ivan sighed.

"Well, I can bring her to Kalay, but I'm not sure how I'd show her this 'error in her thoughts' – she seems dead-set against returning to Xian unless it was the only place left on Weyard." Feh shrugged. "Although… Living as a servant could probably help with her temper," he said. "And I think I could get Master Hammet to hire her as a kitchen assistant." Feh nodded again.

"That is a good idea," he said. "Take my daughter with you to Kalay, teach her how to be humble, and then perhaps she will want to return to Xian to not be humble." Secretly, Ivan doubted Feh's reasoning, but he nodded. "Go, approach her with the idea."

Ivan walked outside, seeing Feizhi standing once again by the town gate. "Feizhi!" he called, walking toward her. "Feizhi, it's me, Ivan? Your father suggested you come to Kalay with Master Hammet's caravan."

"Finally the old fool has a good idea," she said, staring at the ground. "I like this idea, Warrior Merchant. And it is nice to finally know your name, Ivan. I did not have time to thank you for helping that bull-stubborn fool Hsu when he was trapped underneath the boulders last year."

"It wasn't at all a problem. If you would follow me?" He led her to where Master Hammet was meeting with the client. As they walked in, they could hear the negotiations wrapping up.

"That seems like a reasonable price," said the Xianese spice merchant. "I would be willing to pay ninety thousand coins for these barrels."

"Then I'll just get my accountant in here to update the ledgers." Hammet turned to find a guard and noticed Ivan. "Good timing, Ivan! We've agreed on ninety thousand for all the barrels. I'll need your signature on the receipt, and I'll need you to update the ledgers." Ivan nodded, opening the ledger and recording the sale before signing off on the receipt."

"I take it this is just the turmeric?" Hammet nodded. "What's next, the sage or the basil?"

"The oregano, actually. Then basil, then sage, then the Vaultic cheeses." Ivan nodded. "…Well, well, Ivan, bringing a date to business, are we?" joked Hammet.

"Actually, sir, Feizhi wanted to come back to Kalay with us. I was thinking maybe she could help me with the serving and kitchen duties." Hammet nodded. Feizhi looked at Ivan, then nodded as well. "Well, call for me if you need me, I'll be in on the wind's own wings," said Ivan. Hammet nodded, shooing him out the door before getting down to the business of haggling over thirty barrels of oregano.

"Kalayan spice-herbs," explained Ivan. "I'm sure you've seen the caravan come down this way every year." Feizhi nodded. "So… care to show me around?" Feizhi grinned.

"All right, but only because you ask nicely and will take me out of this nowhere silk town." Ivan rolled his eyes. "But first we stop for lunch. I know a good place." Ivan nodded as she led him to a large restaurant with several foreign characters inscribed above the door. "This is the Gaojeng Restaurant, it is the best in Xian. I am sure you can afford lunch for two, Ivan." Ivan nodded slowly; it looked expensive, but he could handle expensive.

Sure enough, as soon as he saw the prices on the menu, he began making notes in his mental ledger. Three hundred coins for a three-course lunch, what kind of place is this? he thought.

"Ivan, do you think a four or five course lunch would be better?" asked Feizhi. Ivan looked further down the menu; those prices were listed at a minimum of five hundred, and climbed quickly.

"Are the prices for two people or one?" he asked cautiously, taking out his coin purse to begin counting out platinum coins.

"Two," said Feizhi, at which point Ivan let out an audible sigh.

"…If it's for two people, we could handle a six-course lunch-dinner combination. like the Kungyang or the Dewang."

"Kunggyang and Dehwan," corrected Feizhi. "And I think I would prefer the Gyoojau instead of the two of them. It is the more delicious of the three."

"Most delicious," said Ivan. "And you're the expert here." He noted, with a small bit of relief, that the Gyoojau was the least expensive of the three. Provided, of course, that they had the translation right. "You can order, if you like." Feizhi nodded, flagging down a waiter.

"Jai-kwang, gujei miyai," she said, speaking to the waiter in a language Ivan couldn't understand. "Gyoojau gung kigyoo."

"Byougang injang kwahye?" asked the waiter.

After a moment's hesitation, Feizhi nodded. "Jaa, joogya injang kwahyuu. Pyao." The waiter nodded and walked off, leaving Ivan very confused. "We are getting a seventh course, a before-lunch soup made with your Vaultic Cheese," she said. "It is the special soup for today. It is called Injang." Ivan nodded.

"Right, that sounds great. Um… How much is the whole thing?"

"Nine hundred fifty coins," said Feizhi.

"OK, that's what I thought," said Ivan, grinning. "I can afford that. Um… So… I think Master Hammet's willing to give you a job." Feizhi smiled at him. "It'll be in the kitchen, so it'll be with me, um…"

"Yes, I heard. So… what will it be like, working in the kitchen?" Ivan shrugged.

"We mainly get ingredients, carry dishes out to the table when Hammet has guests… when he doesn't, he has all his servants eat with him. It gets to be a pretty full table, actually, about forty of us sitting there plus Master Hammet and Lady Layana." Feizhi nodded. "Forty-one now." He swallowed, unsure of how to continue.

"Do you want to know why I agreed so quickly?" asked Feizhi. Ivan nodded. "Destiny. My visions told me that I was going to be leaving Xian forever, not returning unless I wished it, and so when you said you would take me to Kalay… I am in your debt, Ivan the Warrior Merchant." Ivan blushed slightly. "I will repay you greatly." The blush deepened to a nice scarlet color. "And you are being very kind, if you are paying for the meal."

"Well, it's nothing, really," said Ivan, radiating heat like a miniature sun. "I mean, I got a share of our quest money; we got a lot hunting monsters…" Feizhi nodded. "I could afford lunch-dinner… thing… here." She smiled.

"So humble as well," she said, her tone gaining an appraising quality. "You are an unusual man, Ivan. Different than the ones here in Xian. I think I will be very interested in seeing more of you in Kalay."

"Well, there's going to be a lot of opportunity for that," Ivan joked nervously. "We'll be working the same place. Both of us in the kitchen." Feizhi nodded. "So… um… you'll see a lot of me." She laughed, just as the waiter came with their soup. "Bon appetit," said Ivan, grabbing the spoon from the bowl and bowing to Feizhi before digging in. As he took his first spoonful of the spicy cheese soup, he grinned. Whatever would be, would be, and it looked like he would have unusual company for the ride.

--

One year had passed since the sentence of exile had been passed on Felix. He and Karst shared a room at the Vault Inn, waiting for the next day. "Late summer again," said Felix, sighing at the ceiling as he lay on the bed. "New Vale's apparently getting tourists now."

"Well, it's good to know your hometown's doing well," said Karst, lying down next to him and wrapping her arms around him. "And who knows? When we announce our intent…"

"I doubt they'll build us a house just to live together," said Felix, putting an arm around Karst.

"Very well then," she said, pulling him closer. "I guess there's only one option if we want our own house." She grinned. "The only question is, would you be OK with it?" Felix blinked. "Don't tell me you've grown dense, Felix. We've been dating for a year now, the signs should be obvious as bleeding frosted day." Felix continued to present her with an obviously purposely clueless look. "You know full well… oh, hells, you just want me to say it, don't you?" Felix nodded. "All right. Felix, in response to your question six months ago, when I said 'I need more time to think'… Yes." Felix grinned.

"Good, now I can give you the ring again." Karst chuckled. "But… we don't marry until after my sister's had her day." Karst nodded as Felix fished around in his pocket. "Here. Karst, will you marry me?" He handed her the ring box.

"Already said yes, didn't I?" she asked, taking out the ring and slipping it on her finger. "And a very nice ring, too." Grinning, she looked out at the black sky. "If we're going to do a triumphant dawn return, you're going to have to get up early tomorrow, Mr. Brown," she said, stripping out of her travel clothes before getting under the covers, still admiring her ring.

"All right," said Felix, grinning as he slipped out of his clothes and slid under covers with her, embracing her. "It'll feel so good to be back," he said, kissing her nose lightly.

"I want to see what New Vale looks like… I never got to see Old Vale at all." Felix sighed.

"It was beautiful… Well, good night." And, kissing her, he held her close as he drifted off to sleep. Karst sighed.

"And here I thought we were going to have sex. Silly me, I guess," she muttered as she cuddled him and drifted off. "Eleven months and you still won't do it… silly fiancé," she whispered before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, the two of them quickly got dressed and headed out. "It's time," said Felix, walking hand in hand with her toward New Vale. Five people stood outside the brilliant town gate, which symbolized the harmony between the four elements. He grinned and waved at them, running up the hill with his bride-to-be.

As soon as they crested the hill, Jenna grabbed Felix in a tight hug; he noticed that she'd grown taller, and was almost as tall as Kay now. "Welcome home, brother," she said, grinning.

"I'm glad to be back," he said, hugging her back. "And this time I'm back for good."


End file.
